thank you Joy the Baker for oh so much flavor! even though it is getting oh so hot here in Arizona already … ugh … i still couldn’t resist the sound of some savory, comforty soup. and how can you resist some warm bread to go with it for dunking. here’s how the cream of mushroom soup and herb ciabatta went down:
cream of mushroom soup
servings 3 (who doesn’t want a little leftovers)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion (chopped)
3 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1 lb of cremini mushrooms (sliced)
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup cream
3 cups vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons shredded parmesan, 1 Tablespoon minced rosemary, and 1 Tablespoon chopped parsley for garnish
start with a little olive oil in a large pot over medium heat (boy if I had a nickle for every time i said that!). add yellow onion.
luv the smell of onions sauteing
wait until onions are translucent, and add 1 minced garlic clove. stir and cook for another minute. add mushrooms, soy sauce and worcestershire sauce and cook until mushrooms turn a darker brown and begin to soften and break, about 5 minutes. add vegetable broth and a dash of salt and pepper. cook until mushrooms are very soft, about 15 minutes.
pour 1/4 of the soup into a blender. blend on your lowest speed, as hot soup has a tendency to fly out of the blender like mine did. too bad i didn’t realize i had the speed on “ice crush” instead of level 1 “puree.” don’t do that. pour the blended soup in a large bowl. set aside. add the next 1/4 of the soup into the blender. blend. once blended add to the blended soup in your bowl. continue on until all the soup has been blended.
through a strainer on top of the pot you cooked your soup in, strain 1/4 of the blended soup. use a spatula (not a wooden spoon to avoid splinters) to work your soup through the strainer. it takes some time at first, but once it gets going it is easier. continue with this process 1/4 of the soup at a time until all of your soup has been strained. once again, put the pot of soup back on the burner. heat and serve. garnish with parmesan, parsley, and rosemary. you could even do a cream swirly for even more flair!
herb butter ciabattas
makes 2 (better not leftover)
2 ciabattas (i love the trader joe’s par baked brand … to die for! i use them for almost every sandwich or burger i make)
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 clove garlic
2 Tablespoons parsley
1 teaspoon rosemary
2 Tablespoons parmesean
preheat oven to 350 degrees. if you are using the par baked ciabattas, bake in the oven for 5 minutes on a sheet of foil. i like to use foil instead of a baking sheet because it usually doesn’t get hot, so you can just take the ciabattas out of the oven with your bare hands (i say this, but please proceed with caution. this may not always hold true depending on your oven and what you are cooking).
while ciabattas are baking … with a fork, mash together the butter, parsley, and garlic.
drizzle olive oil on top and work this in with your fork. work in parmesan and salt and pepper.
pull your ciabattas out of the oven. make four slices on the top of each ciabatta without slicing all the way through. with a butter knife, spread the butter/herb mixture into the slices.
bake for 10 minutes. put the oven on broil and broil on the top oven rack until a little brown on top. make sure to watch. broiling is quick! about a minute or two! enjoy and don’t forget to dip!
