Asian-Style Mushroom Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've always dreamed of picnics where food is served from vintage hampers and placed on tables perfectly appointed for al fresco dining. I see linen and crystal and glorious food set on plates of white porcelain chosen to highlight the colors of the light, yet sophisticated, fare chosen for the meal. There is a set menu, one beverage is sufficient to the day and shoes are not used, foursquare, as counterweights to prevent aerodynamic displays by the tablecloth. My dream is terribly civilized. My reality is a nightmare. Folks have gone on safari with less gear than it takes to get my crew to the park for a picnic. Cases for hot, cases for cold. Condiments. Food for the allergic and food for the just plain fussy. We pack bags of ice, a thermos of boiling water and a quantity beverages that could stock a small emporium. And we always, always , manage to forget something.

We had a real break in the weather today. The sun came out and stayed for hours. The day was cool but we Oregonians are a hearty lot and can handle that. It was a perfect day for a picnic. So picnic we did. We quickly assembled a group of kindred spirits and headed to the coast for an adult al fresco feast. I was responsible for soup and dessert. I had to throw both together quickly and was limited by the ingredients I had on hand, but I was pleased with the results. I wanted to share the recipe for the soup I made with you today. It is vaguely Asian and really easy to do. If you like egg drop soup, I know you'll love this. Here's the recipe.

Asian-Style Mushroom Soup...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
8 cups of chicken broth
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
3 tablespoons tamari
8 ounces thinly sliced white mushrooms
1 cup frozen peas
4 large eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped scallions or chives

Directions:
Bring chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add fish sauce, tamari and mushrooms. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add peas and eggs, stirring constantly to break up eggs. Simmer for 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with scallons or chives. Yield: 6 servings.








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Spring Mushroom Soup with Aromatic Vegetables

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Our normally beautiful spring has been erratic this year. Rain, that should have stopped weeks ago, continues to fall unpredictably and we've been pelted with stinging hail that makes local farmers shudder, and guarantees a late harvest in an area that's dependent on agricultural income and the jobs it provides. Their jobs may appear to be bucolic but they're surely not stress free, or, for that matter, guaranteed. To make matters worse, one of our local TV stations has a maniacal forecaster who, I swear to God, smiles whenever there's bad weather to report. Now I know he's young and been taught to be personable on air, but it gets to be a bit much at times. Were a tidal wave to hit the coast or a comet race towards earth, I'm certain he'd report it with a smile. Normally, at this time of year I've moved on to much lighter fare, but there have been days this spring when that smile of his has warned of weather that's cold and damp enough to warrant a warming soup. While I've drawn a line of sorts in the sand and refuse to make our winter favorites, I have been experimenting with lighter and quicker soups to ease the spring chill. This wonderful soup is an example of that lighter fare. It was inspired by one Emeril Lagasse created for Good Morning America years ago. I really like this and I think those of you who try it will like it, too. It uses a handful of everyday ingredient and can be on the table in an hour or less, depending on your knife skills. No special instructions are required to make this delicious, mostly mushroom soup. Here's the recipe.

Spring Mushroom Soup with Aromatic Vegetables...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients:
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely diced smoked bacon
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 pound quartered button mushrooms
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock or canned chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup frozen green peas
1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:
1) In a Dutch oven or soup pot, heat butter and oil over medium high heat until hot. Add bacon and cook, stirring, until bacon is crisp and golden brown, about 5 minutes.
2) Add onions, celery, and carrots and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until mushrooms release their liquid and have begun to brown around edges, about 5 minutes.
3) Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add chicken stock, thyme, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
4) Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
Remove from heat. Stir in peas and cream and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.







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Creamy Hungarian Mushroom Soup - Vegalicious
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Vegan Mushroom Soup - Elena's Pantry
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Forest Mushroom Soup - Stumptown Savoury
Mushroom and Sherry Soup - The Housewife Diary
Spinach and Mushroom Soup - Home Cooking Rocks!
Creamy Wild Mushroom Soup - Dish by Trish
Mixed Mushroom Soup Recipe - 101 Cookbooks

Wilted Spinach Salad - Blue Monday

Alert the media! Our Connor, just turned one, is walking and talking. He's also learning how to share - kinda.







From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is one of my favorite salads and, because of its color, it's one that I love to serve with holiday meals. The various components of the salad can be prepared well ahead of time, then tossed together just before serving, making it an easy dish for a busy hostess. The bacon in the salad and the drippings in the dressing makes it appealing to all meat eaters. This is a salad that seems to fall in and out of favor with cooks. Fortunately, it is good enough to be re-invented on a regular basis. I find this salad to be enormously appealing and have been known to prepare a mealsize portion of it when left on my own for dinner. You can, of course, substitute another salad dressing for the bacon and vinegar mixture called for here. Any well flavored vinaigrette will do, but I'm especially fond of the real deal. If you haven't tried this salad, I hope you will give it a try. Here's the recipe.

Wilted Spinach Salad...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients:
5 ounces baby spinach (about 6 cups)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 slices bacon (about 2 ounces), cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 hard boiled egg, peeled and very finely chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup minced red onion
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Place spinach and mushrooms in large bowl. Fry bacon in small skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes; transfer with slotted spoon to paper towel–lined plate, leaving fat in skillet. Return skillet to medium heat and add oil, onion, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is slightly softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar; swirl to incorporate. Pour warm dressing over spinach and toss gently to wilt. Sprinkle bacon and chopped egg over spinach; serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.

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Stuffed Mushrooms

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Stuffed mushrooms are one of my favorite hot appetizers. I've collected an impressive assortment of recipes for them and, over time, you'll probably get to see them all. However, today I'm only going to feature one. I chose this one to serve over the weekend because it's so easy to do, and, when you're into day four of a long weekend, easy assumes an importance it might otherwise not have. I think the original recipe, found here, was developed by Giada De Laurentis, but I found another that is similar in an online book, called Almost Italian, which is a compilation of recipes and stories from Italian immigrant communities across America. Those of you who love Italian food might find the book really interesting. I know I did. I've changed the recipe slightly to avoid waste. I've included finely chopped mushroom stems in my stuffing and changed the herb mix a bit. I think the mushrooms help keep the stuffing, which can be dry, moist and I replaced the mint, which I found to be off-putting, with additional parsley. Here's my version of the recipe.

Stuffed Mushrooms...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Giada De Laurentis

Ingredients:
28 large (2 1/2-inch-diameter) white mushrooms, stems removed and finely chopped
5 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided use
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/2 cup Italian-style dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Directions:
1) Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan. Add chopped mushroom stems and cook just until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds longer. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
2) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
3) Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, bread crumbs, cheese, parsley and salt and pepper to taste to mushroom mixture in skillet. Mix with a spoon to blend.
4) Coat bottom of a large baking sheet with about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Spoon filling into the mushroom cavities and arrange on baking sheet, cavity side up. Drizzle remaining oil over filling in each mushroom. Bake until mushrooms are tender and filling is heated through and golden on top, about 25 minutes. Serve immediately. Yield: 7 servings.

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