Cream of Mushroom Soup

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This is the second cream of mushroom soup I've created for the blog and the main difference with this one is that it’s vegetarian. I also made this batch a lot larger than the first. I needed this to be a starter course for at least 12 people.

I start off sauteing 2 pounds of sliced mushrooms with onions and garlic for a little depth. Then I make a roux. Instead of adding the flour and butter to the pot with all the other ingredients like I usually do, I did it in a separate pan. I thought there was too much stuff in the pot for it to brown properly. It actually made the process easier and I will probably do it that way again in the future. Once the roux was ready I added it to the cooked mushrooms along with vegetable stock and milk. For a little extra flavor, fresh thyme was thrown into the pool as well. I brought the mixture to a slow simmer and let it go for around 15 minutes so it could thicken. That's all it took, really simple if I do say so myself.

I have to admit, this soup was magically delicious. Once you have made cream of mushroom soup from scratch it’s hard to eat the canned version ever again.

BEHIND THIS BITE
My Mom did the majority of the cooking for a mission at our church last week. It was lead by the Franciscan Brothers here in Fort Wayne.

As part of the deal, they asked for dinner each day of the mission, and because it was Lent they needed it to be vegetarian. Mom employed me to make a soup for them on the first day of the mission and this is the recipe I made. They finished almost all of it with just a couple of bowls to spare – which were sent to a couple from the church in need of help preparing dinner.

It was nice to see my food put to use for the good of others. I think it’s the least I can do in the good causes department. I know I need all the brownie points I can get with the man upstairs. I hope I can accumulate enough before my time is up to make up for the points I lost during my twenties!

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE

Serves 12; 40 minutes
2 lb Mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 C Onion diced
1 Tbs Garlic minced
1/2 C Butter
1/2 C Flour
3 C Vegetable broth
3 C Milk
1 Tbs Fresh thyme, minced

Sauté mushrooms; make roux
In a large pot over medium heat sauté mushroom and onion in a little olive oil until soft and mushroom have released water, 5 to 7 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes more. While mushrooms cook, in a separate pan or skillet melt butter and whisk in flour until well incorporated creating roux, let cook 3 to 4 minutes stirring often.

Add liquids, roux; thicken
Add milk, broth, thyme and roux to pot, stir until roux has completely dissolved in liquid, bring to a simmer, reduce heat and let cook until soup has thickened 13 to 15 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, then serve.

Creamy Mushroom Risotto

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The key to making risotto is patience. Lots of patience. I had never made it before I made this recipe. I’ve watched several Food Network stars make it. Paula Dean, Giada De Laurentiis, Tyler Flourence - the list goes on. And it looks a whole lot easier on the tube. They conveniently edit out the 30 minutes of stirring and pouring that it takes to make a batch. I personally think that someone else did the stirring for them during the taping - by the time I was done, I was half bent over the stove and board out of my mind waiting for the rice to soften just to the point of al dente! Had I not given up beer for Lent then I’m sure I would have downed a six pack with one hand as I stirred with the other. I didn’t see all that labor on any of the TV shows while risotto was being made. Come to think of it, I never see them doing any dishes either!

In all seriousness, I really did enjoy making this. The starch from the rice is slowly absorbed into the chicken stock and forms a creamy gravy. The process takes longer than I thought it would but the end result was a tasty dish that I’m going to try again. It’s cool to see it come together.

BEHIND THIS BITE
I think this could be a real knockout dish for those times when you want to impress someone. I want to try it with a protein like chicken or maybe roasted red peppers. The potential for a great dish is limitless. I think that a great dessert could be made from this also, it’s just a matter of finding the right balances.

When I originally started to make this dish I had to postpone the shoot because I realized that I needed a short grain rice to make a good risotto. The shorter grains are starchier and work better to make the creamy gravy that really makes the dish. I settled on arborio rice, which worked fine in the end.

I made this on Friday and thought I was doing the right thing for Lent - no meat on Fridays. It wasn’t until I had eaten a bowl that I realized that I used chicken broth in the recipe! Technically I didn’t make a meat dish, but at least one chicken had to die for me to have this yummy supper. Once again I was foiled, it really is tougher than one would think to give up meat on Fridays for lent - especially when you’re a carnivore like myself.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE

Serves 6; 50 minutes
1/2 lb Mushrooms, sliced
1/2 C Onion, diced
1 Tbs Garlic, minced
5 C Chicken broth (simmering)
1 1/2 C Arborio rice 2 tsp Fresh thyme

Cook mushrooms; heat broth
In a sauté pan over medium heat sauté mushroom and onion in a little olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook until mushrooms release water and onions are soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside, wipe pan clean. In a pot or sauce pan, bring broth to a simmer over medium heat.

Toast rice, add stock, finish
Add a little more oil to empty sauté pan then add rice, stir to coat and let rice toast 2 to 3 minutes. Add a cup of broth to rice, stir constantly until broth is absorbed. Repeat until broth is gone, stirring continuously, 30 to 35 minutes. Once rice is cooked and creamy add thyme, reserved mushrooms and vegetables and heat through, 3 to 4 minutes more. Then serve.

Grilled Mushroom and Swiss Cheese

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In my house growing up, my Mom always referred to a grilled cheese sandwich as “cheese toasty.” It wasn’t until I was 23 years-old and living in New York City that I realized the rest of the world had a different name for them.

I was in the cafeteria at my first job when I ordered a cheese toasty and the cook had no idea what I was talking about. I described it and he realized I wanted a grilled cheese. I got my sandwich and a Mountain Dew. I went to the checkout lady and said, “just a cheese toasty and a pop.” On the East coast “pop” is “soda.” The young lady at the registered laughed at my hysterically. Then  she said, “You mean a soda and grilled cheese?” I agreed.     From that day forward, every time I went to the cafeteria and the young lady was working, she would say upon seeing me, “Hey Pops want a cheese toasty!” Then bust out in laughter.

For this recipe, I make a gourmet cheese toasty with mushrooms and swiss cheese,
a decadent reminder of my Midwestern roots.

BEHIND THIS BITE
The first couple of years living in New York were a huge learning experience for me. They would have been a learning experience anywhere in the world because I was learning how to be an adult in the real world, which is a change from being an adult on a college campus. New York was the ultimate test. I made it through and ended up spending 12 and a half years of my life there.

I still love the city and its energy and hope to spend more time there in the future. What they say is really true, “if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.” Because anywhere else seems to be easier, or slower paced – in America that is.

New York is one thing, I’m not sure if I have what it takes to make it in Kandahar, Afghanistan or Islamabad, Pakistan - If the local Taliban were to discover a Star Wars collection like mine they may throw me in prison for false idol worship.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Makes 2 sandwiches; 15 minutes
2 Tbs Mayonnaise (spread thin on bread)
4 slices Bread
4 slices Swiss cheese
2 oz Mushrooms, cooked

Assemble sandwiches
Spread mayonnaise on bread. (side that will contact hot surface) On bottom slice stack swiss cheese, mushrooms, another slice of cheese and top piece of bread. Repeat.

Toast, serve
Place sandwiches on griddle over medium high heat and toast until bread is golden brown and cheese has melted, turning once. Remove from heat and serve.

Bowtie Pasta in Mushroom Sauce

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I would rate this mushroom and bowtie pasta dish as a 7 on a scale of 10. It had good flavor, the noodles and mushroom were cooked spot on, and it worked as a side dish really well. I would be happy to put this out at any family get-together or eat with dinner anytime, which is why I thought I should publish it.

That said, it lacked the punch that I like to get with most of my dishes here at Behind the Bites. I think I needed a cream element to help make it more rich or some shredded beef for more hardiness in the overall recipe.

Any suggestions are welcomed here, please message me or make a comment if you see an easy way to put this dish over the top. It’s obvious that it could be beef and noodles. I think this dish could stand out in a different way though. I’m going to revisit this in the near future - in the meantime I’d like to here what readers think. Any creative solutions for knocking this dish out of the park?

All ideas are welcome. 

BEHIND THIS BITE
I really love making mushroom sauce, the earthy flavor found in mushrooms seems to make them ideal for sauces and gravies, it’s my favorite way to consume them. (Unless we are talking about morels – that's a whole different story)

I have a weird custom when I purchase mushrooms at the store. I can’t bring myself to buying them already sliced. That would take all the fun out of the process for me. There is something about washing and slicing them up. That goes for anything I make though, I would much rather do the slicing and dicing myself - it’s part of why I love cooking. Now, that goes for small amounts. If I need 20 pounds of mushrooms and can get them pre-sliced, I think I’d pay a little extra to avoid 2-hours of work. 10 minutes of work is cool, 2 hours – not so much.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Side for 6; 40 minutes
8 oz Mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbs Butter, unsalted
2 Tbs Flour, sifted
3 C Beef broth
1 Tbs Fresh thyme
12 oz Bowtie pasta

Suaté Mushrooms, add broth
Start pasta. In a sauce pan over medium heat sauté mushrooms until they have released their liquid, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add butter, let melt, then stir in flour. Let mixture cook 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in broth and thyme, simmer on low.

Make Bow tie pasta, finish sauce
Bring a quart of salted water to a boil, add pasta and return to boil. Let cook 12 to 14 minutes for al dente, then drain. Add pasta to sauce and let simmer until thickened slightly then serve.