mushrooms

Creamy mushroom soup

| adamcockle

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So, my favorite local foodery, drinkery, playhouse and provider of caffeinated beverages – The Old Market Assembly – has added bakery to its CV (yummy bread here)  And what better way to sample a delicious sourdough loaf than with a bowl of creamy mushroom soup topped with creme fraiche, crispy bacon and sage leaves.

Ingredients:

Serves 2

  • 10 or so fresh sage leaves
  • 4 rashers of streaky bacon
  • 1tbps olive oil
  • 1tbsp butter
  • 1 medium onion (peeled and finely diced)
  • 650g of mushrooms (I used chestnut mushrooms and baby portobello)
  • Chicken or vegetable stock
  • 4tbsp double cream
  • 2tbsp creme fraiche
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Thick slices of yummy bread for dippin’

Method:

 

Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the bacon until crisp before removing to a piece of kitchen paper.  Add the butter to the same pan and fry the sage leaves until crisp – put aside with the bacon.

Add the onion to the pan and cook until translucent.  Next in with the mushrooms along with a pinch of salt and pepper (it will look like a LOT of mushrooms, but worry not, they will reduce down significantly).  Heat the mushrooms, stirring regularly until they are reduced and dark and the pan fairly dry.

Pour a little stock into the pan and use a stick blender to whizz everything up into a smooth paste.  Add more stock as you go until you achieve your desired consistency  (I like mine thick enough to stand a spoon up in, or build an exterior wall).   Stir in the double cream and add pepper (and perhaps more salt) to your taste.

Spoon into bowls and top with and dollup of creme fraiche, some bacon (chopped or crumbled) and a few crispy sage leaves.  If your bread is as good as mine (and your soup as thick) you won’t need a spoon to polish this off!

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Mince and gravy with herby, cheesy dumplings

| adamcockle

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Here the mince and gravy (though delicious) play second fiddle to the moist, cheesy, herby dumplings.  This recipe also features the first appearance of my patented (not really) ‘oomph’ that I love to add to all sorts of soups, sauces and stews.

Ingredients:

For the mince and gravy:

  • 750g beef and pork mince (or just beef if you prefer)
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 stick of celery
  • 300g baby button mushrooms
  • 2 large carrots
  • 2tbsp plain flour
  • 500ml beef stock
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the oomph:

  • 4tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1tbsp maple syrup
  • 1tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 or 2 bay leaves
  • 6 to 8 peppercorns

For the dumplings:

  • 100g self-raising flour
  • 50g of butter (cold from the fridge)
  • 25g grated cheese (I used a mature English cheddar)
  • 1tbsp chopped parsley
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 – 2tbsp milk

Method:

For the oomph:

Put all the ingredients in a small pan and cook on a medium high heat until the liquid has reduced to about two tablespoons. Drain through a sieve to remove the peppercorns and bay and leave aside until later.

For the mince and gravy:

Heat a drizzle of oil in a frying pan.  Finely chop the onion and celery and add to the pan along with a good pinch of salt and pepper.  Stir regularly until the onion is just starting to turn a bit golden.  Peel and chop the carrots into generous chunks and add to the pan along with the mushrooms.  Stir together until everything looks glossy and the mushrooms are staring to colour.  Transfer the onions, mushrooms and vegetables into a large saucepan.

Put a drop more oil in the recently vacated frying pan and add the mince along with another good pinch of salt and pepper.  Brown the mince on a high heat until the pan starts to look dry and then sprinkle in the flour.  Stir thoroughly for a minute or two until the flour is incorporated and then transfer the mince to the saucepan to join the onions and vegetables.  Add the stock to the saucepan.  Ideally you want the mince and vegetables to be just covered so add a little bit of water at this point if you have to.  Add the oomph.  Cover and simmer on a medium-low heat for a couple of hours until the mince is melting and tender (you can also pop your mince and gravy into a low oven if you prefer).

For the dumplings:

Start making your dumplings once your mince and gravy is ready.  Put the flour in a bowl and add in the cold butter cut into small chunks (or grated).  Rub the butter and flour together for a few minutes until the mixture resembles course bread crumbs.  Stir in the salt, cheese and parsley.  Add the milk a little at a time and stir until the mixture comes together in a firm but sticky lump.  Form your dumpling mixture into little balls (I made about 10 golfball sized dumplings) and plop them in with the mince and gravy.  Do not crowd the dumplings as they will plump up as they cook.  Put the lid on the saucepan and continue to cook on medium-low heat for 12 minutes.

Serve generously in big bowls and ideally with a nice bottle of beer or glass of hearty red wine.

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