Hungarian Mushroom Soup

My first taste of Hungarian Mushroom soup was back in college at the beloved Feasts of Reason in Chestertown, Maryland. Although it’s been years since I enjoyed a perfect roast beef sandwich on their fresh baked baguette with blue cheese mayonnaise (do I have your attention?) and a cup of their soup, my love affair with the soup continues.

I started working out a recipe for my own version of this soup years ago in my collegiate kitchen back on High Street, and it has maintained top billing in my mental rolodex. In the early stages, I would use condensed Golden Mushroom Soup as my base, and as my comfort in the kitchen grew, I traded in the soup base for fresh made roux to achieve the creamy base.

When Kyle and I were first living together, I remember mentioning having a craving for the soup one fall, and his eyes instantly lit up. Having lived in Hungary briefly years ago, Kyle has always been a big fan of the country’s flavors. It is a warm, comforting and creamy soup that will chase out the chill from any October evening. The ingredient list is relatively simple, and as such it’s great for feeding a large group without spending an exorbitant amount on the makings. If you’ve got it on hand, smoked paprika adds a wonderful depth of flavor, and a little Hot Hungarian paprika sprinkled on top before serving brings another element to the finished product. If you making the soup for a meatless crowd, a dark vegetable stock will work just as well as beef stock, just be sure to omit the Worcestershire

Paired with a loaf of crusty rustic bread, a spicy arugula salad and full bodied red and you’ve got the recipe for a perfect fall night in with friends. This recipe could easily serve 6 for a main course, and freezes well once cooled.

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

- 16 oz. Baby Bella mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- 1 Medium Vidalia onion, quartered & sliced thinly
- 2 Garlic cloves, minced
- 40 oz. Good quality beef or dark vegetable stock (homemade is best)
- 1 Tbspn. olive oil
- 1 Stick salted butter
- ½ish Cup all purpose flour
- 8oz. Sour cream
- 8oz. Milk
- 4 Tbspn. dried dill
- 2 Tbspn. smoked paprika
- 1 Tbspn. regular paprika (if you don’t have smoked paprika, just substitute regular for both)
- Sea salt & fresh cracked pepper
- 1-2 Tbspns. Worcestershire sauce
- Chopped flat leaf parsely (optional)
- Hungarian hot paprika (optional)

In a small sauce pan, melt ¾ stick of butter over medium heat. Add in flour a little at a time and whisk to combine until a stiff roux consistency is reached. Continue cooking 5-10 minutes or until roux turns golden and flour is cooked down. Take off heat & set aside. Heat remaining butter and olive oil in the bottom of a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add in mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally until mushrooms begin to release moisture, about 5-7 minutes. Add in sliced onions & cook an additional 5-7 minutes until onions become translucent. Add in minced garlic & cook 2-3 minutes until garlic is fragrant, but not browned. Season with salt & pepper to taste before adding dill and paprika, stirring well to incorporate and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until spices are well blended into vegetables. Once the mixture is well integrated, add in beef/vegetable stock and leave pot to come up to a low rolling boil. Once soup has reached a boil, mix roux into broth (see my note on a helpful technique at the bottom of this recipe), and continue mixing until a gravy- like texture is reached (you may not have to use all of the roux. Once all roux has diluted into the stock & the consistency is smooth, turn stove to low, add in milk & Worcestershire and mix well. Slowly add in sour cream until fully dissolved and texture is that of heavy cream-if too thick, add in a little more milk- and adjust salt & pepper seasoning as needed. Serve garnished with a little extra Hungarian hot paprika, chopped parsley or a dollop of sour cream.

Portuguese Kale Soup

In line with my recent ode to fall over on The Humble Home, I was really looking forward to making soup last Sunday. Due to circumstances unforeseen (ahem, having way too much fun hanging out with friends in Boston drinking margaritas & watching stand-up), it was pushed back to Monday, which worked out well since my beloved Patriots were on MNF, and I had plenty of time to prep my soup so I could enjoy it while watching the lads “Squish the Fish”- which they did a hell of a job with in the second half!

Soup is an all time favorite food, a tradition that started with my childhood and continues through today. Kyle and I are big soup fans, and it is a great way to stretch ingredients to get more bang for your buck. Traditionally, most of the soups that I make have pretty humble roots- fish chowders, Hungarian mushroom, beef barley, and the likes all started as ways to feed a crowd on the cheap with whatever was on hand. I’ve always enjoyed sampling the local foods when living in different parts of the country, and the local soups are usually a pretty good example of the flavors and culture of a region. Most of the recipes I’ve picked up along the way come from working in kitchens and restaurants- while working as a lunch chef in the Virgin Islands, I picked up a great recipe for Caribbean Black Bean soup, my chowder recipe stems from my days in the kitchen at The Chowder House, Maryland Cream of Crab came from friends on the Eastern Shore, and while serving at a sushi bar in Colorado, I picked up a fantastic recipe for Mexican Tortilla soup from the immigrant workers in the kitchen.

Living in Rhode Island, I’ve started to pick up on the flavors that dominate the area around here, primarily influenced by the Portuguese culture. While I concede to not having a lot of knowledge about Portugal and the culture, I am really digging their food! Fried calamari is served with banana pepper rings, seafood chowders gain a little spice and a lovely pink tone from chorizo and fresh meats are slow simmered in wine and spices. One item I keep seeing pop up on local menus is Portuguese Kale Soup. I’ve tried it at a couple of places, and the flavors are wonderful and comforting- stewed kale, soft potatoes and onions and a little kick from the spicy sausage- all the makings for an ideal fall soup.

I started my quest for an authentic kale soup recipe online and found a lot of variations, each with their appeals. Most of the reviews offered up variations, as with many cultural foods, everyone’s mother or grandmother has their own spin on the ingredients. Building off of one recipe that seemed to have the basics down, I asked a couple of the Portuguese guys I worked with for their take. Much like the online comments, each had their own spin. With recommendations and a basic recipe in hand, I stopped by the store, picked up the components and a loaf of take & bake bread and headed home to get to work.

The end result was a wonderfully satisfying soup that wasn’t overly heavy, but can keep you full all evening or afternoon. Up until recently, kale has been a relatively underutilized green, and I am happy to see it making a resurgence in the food blogging and restaurant communities. It holds up well to the slightly spicy nature of the sausage, and doesn’t fall apart even after a couple of days in the stock. I made a huge batch, but have halved it so as to be a little more manageable. This soup will most certainly be in heavy rotation on my list, and is a welcome departure for the standard chicken noodle as a quick go-to one pot dinner.

PORTUGUESE KALE SOUP (adapted from cooks.com)

- 1lb. Fresh kale, well washed, stems removed, torn into pieces
-1 Large Vidalia onion, Frenched or julienned
-4 Large red skinned potatoes, diced large
-1 lb. Linguica loose or diced if in links (Chorizo works well)
-6-8 Cups chicken or pork broth (more or less, depending on how “soupy” you want the finished product to be)
- 4 tblspns. Olive oil
-3 large garlic cloves, minced
-1 Can Cannelloni beans, rinsed & drained
-1-2 Bay leaves
-1 hot pepper, seeded (I used a good sized Fresno)
-1 tspn. Smoked paprika
-Sea salt & fresh cracked pepper

In a large soup or stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add in onions and linguica and cook, stirring occasional for 10 minutes or until onions turn translucent and sausage begins to breakdown. Add minced onion & continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add in potatoes, hot pepper, bay leaves, paprika, a little salt & pepper, stir well to combine, continue cooking for another 10 or so minutes until potatoes soften slightly (see note). Add in broth and turn heat to medium-high, and continue cooking until at a low boil. Add in torn kale a handful at a time, stirring in to wilt. Once all kale has been incorporated, simmer additional 10 minutes. Add in Cannelloni beans, season with salt & pepper to taste, and simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve hot with crusty bread.

Note: A great trick I picked up from making industrial batches of chowder while working at The Chowder House- when building your soup base, allow potatoes, onions and other components to hang out together for a couple of minutes before introducing liquids. Doing this will coat your potatoes and onions with the spices being used (as well as the delicious flavored fat from the sausage), which in the long run will infuse the veggies with more flavor, and make for a more cohesive finished soup.

Cold Weather Comforts

There is nothing better than getting out early, immediately donning your most comfortable duds, pouring a glass of wine and watching the snow fall. To add to this perfection of a day, we both began tooling around in the kitchen, looking to make something to enhance our snowy afternoon. And I will say this now for all to witness- my husband is the official Chief Baker in our household, hands down. I have made mention before about my complete inability to bake, and discovering his almost natural ability to make beautiful fluffy treats in all shapes and size, I am happy to hand the task

The other day, Kyle and I were gifted with the treat loved by those of all ages- a snow day. While I still reported to work in the morning for a couple of hours, Kyle was able to get out for the whole day, so he trudged our 4 wheel drive beast out to Portsmouth to pick me up and we (cautiously!) raced home to enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

(and the stand mixer) over to him! I will get him at some point to scribble down his lovely bread recipe, but will share now what I ended up making. Soup has always been the perfect accompaniment to a cold day. I had some odds n’ ends rolling around in our fridge that I was looking to use up, and in my family’s tradition (thank you, Old Delicious), soup is usually the best avenue to use said bits up. I ended up with a wonderfully simple and very satisfying tortellini soup that was just as good for lunch the next as it was for supper last night. For mine, I used a combination of baby arugula and spinach, but you can use any greens that you have on hand. The ingredient list was also perfectly easy and relaxed and took very little time to prepare. Simple ingredients, simple preparation, simple pleasures. It was a good night to be snowed in…


Tortellini Soup with Onions and Greens
-1 12-16oz. package o
f fresh tortellini (I used sausage, but any
variety works well)
- 2-2 ½ quarts of chicken stock, homemade preferably
-1/2-3/4 of a sweet onion, sliced thinly
-3 good sized garlic cloves, finely minced
- 5 oz. fresh baby arugula
-5 oz. fresh baby spinach
-6-7 crimini mushrooms, sliced thinly
-1 Bay leaf
-Parmesan or any other hard cheese rind, optional
-Pinch of fresh grated nutmeg
-Fresh grated lemon zest
-Couple of tablespoons of olive oil
-French sea salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in the bottom of a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add in sliced onion & begin to sweat, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, add in bay leaf and continue to cook until the onion becomes soft, but still holds their shape. Add in garlic, allow to sweat out a bit longer (watch for over browning!), and continue stirring. Once garlic starts to release, add in chicken stock and cheese rind (if using) and allow to come up to a simmer, still over medium heat. About 10-15 minutes prior to serving, add in tortellini, greens and mushrooms and cook until pasta has warmed through, greens have softly wilted and mushrooms have absorbed some of the stock. Grate over a couple of passes of fresh nutmeg and stir. To serve, ladle into soup bowls, grate over a little fresh lemon zest and serve immediately. Pairs beautifully with fresh baked bread…

Curried Vegetable Soup

Winter time is a perfect time for a big, delicious pot of soul-comforting soup. It not only makes your whole place smell incredible (especially to husbands and loved ones coming through the door after a long day at work), but is so simple, and a great way to use up a lot of ingredients that may be getting a little long in the tooth. There's a long standing family joke about my grandfather's recipe for soup referred to only as "Old Delicious", based loosely on beef barley with a staunch "don't ask, don't tell" policy when it came to the actual ingredients. Grampie was a magician when it came to stretching his ingredients to feed his eleven (yes, you read that correctly) children, and it's a trait that has been passed down through the generations. This frugality is a personal point of pride for me, and I love being able to make excellent food out of seemingly simple and inexpensive ingredients. This recipe for Curried Vegetable Soup is extremely versatile and is a lot of fun to play with until you get the perfect combination of ingredients to suit your palate.

Curried Vegetable Soup

-2lbs. Assorted vegetables (such as onion, celery, garlic, carrot, eggplant, mushroom or whatever else you have hanging around, sweet potatoes are also a great addition!) chopped into uniform 2" pieces.

-Olive oil

-Cracked pepper

-Salt

-Curry powder

-Vegetable stock or water (stock will add more rich flavor)

-Hot sauce (optional)

-1 1/2 Cups grilled chicken, cubed or grilled shrimp (optional)

-Toppings: Greek yogurt, toasted pine nuts, chopped cilantro, roasted red pepper strips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss veggies in enough olive oil to coat (if using eggplant, use more, as it will absorb a lot!), and a generous amount of salt, pepper and curry powder. Personally, I toss ingredients together in a large heavy duty dutch oven, which cuts down on the amount of dishes used, as the dutch oven can be transported directly from the oven to the stove top. Roast veggies for 20-25 minutes in the oven, until flavors begin to meld, but veggies don't burn. Pull out of oven and transfer to stove top over medium heat. Add in stock or water to cover all veggies and bring to a low boil. Use a good sized wooden spoon to scrape off any "drippings" from the bottom of the pot- there's a TON of flavor in 'em! Adjust seasoning as needed, adding more curry, s & p or hot sauce, depending on your preference. At this point, I usually use an immersion blender to create a beautifully velvety texture, but if you prefer it chunky, leave it as is. A great aspect of blending the soup is that it creates a deceptively rich texture, and you can fool yourself into thinking it has some sort of cream base when it doesn't, sneaky! If using chicken, add in after blending. Allow the soup to sit and come together as long as possible (or as long as you can stand it!) to really get the most out of the final flavor. Top with Greek yogurt, roasted red pepper strips, toasted pine nuts, cilantro, extra curry or whatever suits your taste. Relax with a big ol' bowl, and watch the snow drift by.

This is also a great soup for freezing- since my husband is out to sea a fair amount, I usually make large freezer friendly dishes to portion out and freeze for later. I throw a good size portion of cooled soup into a freezer friendly zip bag, squeeze out the air and freeze. In the bags, they're easy to pull out as needed, are less likely to fall victim to freezer burn and take up less space than regular plastic containers.