RECIPE: Tonight's dinner: REC: Wild Mushroom Soup with Corn and Crab

[barbara-in-va]

This soup is WONDERFUL however a bit expensive. Beware of the 1T of cayenne sauce, it makes a spicy soup. If crab is not available or too expensive, I think shrimp would work very nicely.

Wild Mushroom Soup with Corn and Crab

Source: Caprial's Soups and Sandwiches

2 lbs seasonal wild mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

3 leeks, white parts only, rinsed well and sliced crosswise

1 large onion

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 C dry white wine

2 qts chicken or seafood stock

1/4 C flour

1/4 C unsalted butter

kernels cut from 6 ears fresh corn*

1 lb cooked crabmeat

2 T chopped fresh basil

1 T cayenne sauce

salt

freshly ground black pepper

In a large stockpot over medium heat, combine mushrooms, leeks, onion, and garlic. Cover the pot and cook until the onion is tender, 5-8 minutes. Add the wine and reduce over high heat until 1/2 C liquid remains, about 5 minutes. Add the stock, bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low.

Make a beurre manie by mixing together the flour and butter. Ladle 2C of the simmering stock into a bowl and whisk in the beurre manie. Whisk the mixture back into the stock and simmer 25-30 minutes or until the flavors are well blended. Add the corn and simmer briefly to blanch, about 5 minutes. Stir in the crab, basil and cayenne sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and serve piping hot. Serves 6-8.

*I used frozen since fresh is just a fleeting memory at this late date.

Enjoy!

 

[barbara-in-va]

Another supurb soup REC: White Bean Soup with Sundried Tomatoes and Pancetta

This soup can warm your insides on a cold and rainy night. It is so very tasty. I use only 1/2 of the pancetta called for and the tomatoes are from Steve2's recipe for oven dried tomatoes.

White Bean Soup with Sundried Tomatoes and Pancetta
Source: Caprial's Soup and Sandwiches

1 lb dried cannllini, flageolet, great Northern or other white beans sorted and rinsed
12 C chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2 T olive oil
1 lb pancetta or pepper bacon, diced
2 medium inions, diced
1 bulb fennel, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 C dry white wine
1 C oil packed sundried tomatoes, drained and julienned
1 t chopped fresh thyme
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T rice wine vinegar
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Fennel Jam for garnish (recipe follows)

Place the beans in a large bowl. Cover with cold water and let them soak 3-4 hours. Drain and rinse.

In a large stockpot over medium high heat, combine the beans, stock and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, decrease the heat, and simmer until the beans are tender 1 1/2-2 hours adding more stock or water if necessary.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat until hot. Add the pancetta and cook until crispy, but not too brown.* Add the onions, fennel and garlic and saute until the mixture is fragrant and the onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and tomatoes, and cook over high heat until the liquid is reduced by half. Stir the vegetable mixture into the beans and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to low, simmer 25-30 minutes.

Stir in the thyme, Worcestershire sauce and vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Adjust the consistency of the soup with more stock or water if needed.

To serve, ladle soup into soup bowls and garnish with fennel jam.

*The pancetta yielded a lot of fat so I poured of most of it.

Fennel Jam

a t olive oil
1 onion, julienned
1 medium bulb fennel, julienned
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1/8 C ouzo (anise flavored liquor)
1/8 C brown sugar or cane sugar
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick saute pan until smocking hot. Add the onion and fennel, do not stir until the start to brown 5-7 minutes. Toss and allow the onions and fennel to brown 5-7 minutes. Continue cooking until the onions and fennel are caramelized 10-15 minutes. Puree the mixture in a food processor.

In a saucepan over low heat, combine the puree, garlic, ouzo and brown sugar and cook until thickened, 8-10 minutes. Season to taste with salt an pepper.

Enjoy!