Blanquette de Boeuf

 

Hey everyone!  How are you guys doing?

This week is just flying by, isn't it?!  Well, it is for me anyway!

Today we've got a Blanquette de Boeuf.  The name in and of itself is an oxymoron because a true blanquette (white stew) is made with a white meat, veal, or lamb.  It's not usually traditionally made with beef.  However, since beef is probably the cheapest out of veal or lamb, and I wasn't particularly in the mood for chicken, beef it was! 

The main difference with a Blanquette is that the stew meat is blanched rather than sauteed.  But just because we don't caramelize the meat beforehand doesn't mean this lacks in flavor!  It really packs a flavor punch and you'll definitely want to try this for yourself!


Ingredients:


3 lb. beef shoulder/chuck roast
9 cups beef stock
1 onion, julienned
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
10 parsley stems
1 sprig of thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
salt and pepper, to taste
1 oz. butter, plus more for sauteing vegetables
1 oz. flour
1 cup heavy cream
1 egg yolk
1 cup pearl onions
4-5 baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
juice from 1/2 lemon
pinch of nutmeg (optional)

Start by trimming any excess fat or silver skin from your roast.  Then cut meat into 1 to 2 inch cubes.

Place meat into a dutch oven or large soup pot and cover with cold water.  Season with salt and bring to a rapid boil.  As soon as the water is boiling, turn off heat and carefully drain the meat.  Rinse to remove any impurities.

 

Return meat to pot and add enough beef stock to cover.  I had about 9 cups of stock before all of my meat was covered.  Of course, this will vary from roast to roast (and how small or big you cubed your meat), so you don't have to strictly use 9 cups.  Just enough to cover the meat.  Place the parsley stems, thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns into a cheesecloth (or coffee filter) and tie up tight.  Place the bag in the pot along with your julienned onion, celery, and carrots.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Simmer until the meat is tender, about 1 & 1/2 to 2 hours.

 

Strain the meat from the stock, keeping and setting each aside.  Discard the cheesecloth with spices.  In the pot, add your butter and flour.  Make a blonde roux (about 3-4 minutes, until golden in color).  Slowly add back in stock, whisking constantly.  Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes, until slightly thickened.  Now, if you just wanted regular beef stew, this would be your stopping point.  You've basically got your brown gravy and all you would have to do is add back in your meat.  But we're gonna take it a step further and make this a little bit richer by adding the liaison of cream and egg yolk.

Return meat to the thickened stock.  In a small bowl, whisk together your egg yolk and cream.  Make sure the soup pot is not at a boil, you want it to be at a slow simmer (under 135 F).  If you're at a boil, you'll just curdle your eggs as you add them in.  Slowly add a couple ladle-fulls of hot stock to the egg yolks, whisking constantly to prevent clumping.  Once your egg yolks are tempered, add them to the soup pot.  Stirring somewhat constantly, keep the mixture at a steady simmer.

Heat a large saute pan to medium high heat and add about a tablespoon of butter.  Add pearl onions and mushrooms.  Saute until just softened, about 3-5 minutes.  Add vegetables to soup pot.

Finally, season the stew with lemon juice, nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste.  Ladle into bowls and serve with a desired starch or all by it's lonesome.

This was definitely a hearty and rich bowl of stew.  Andy definitely loved it.  The meat was tender, the gravy was out of this world good, and it was oh so filling!  Give it a shot and let me know what you think!  Have a great rest of the week guys!

Mushroom & Beef Soup

Happy Friday everybody! 

It's been a crazy busy week, but I've got today and tomorrow off so I'm going to be catching up on some cleaning and some homework for school.

We've been going through a MAJOR heat wave here and I almost can't believe that I made this, but it was so good - I had to post it.  It's so easy and is done in less than 30 minutes!  If you want to wait until winter to make it, then I don't blame you, but if you're like me, and like soup ANY time - this is the real deal!

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 & 1/2 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced - plus extra for garnish
2 tablespoons fresh mint, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
croutons, optional - for garnish

In a medium stockpot under medium high heat, saute the garlic in the olive oil.  Add mushrooms and cook until tender and most of liquid is evaporated.

Add stock, parsley, and mint.  Simmer for about 15-20 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with croutons and chopped parsley.

I served this with a grilled cheese sandwich - it's a perfect soup for dipping!  I think I loved this soup so much because it reminded me a lot of French Onion soup without all the onion and cheese.  It's definitely a keeper!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

How to make a Bisque

 

I've always been a lover of seafood.  Shellfish is definitely one of my favorite things to eat.  Andy and I do a seafood boil every now and then.  We boil all of the seafood in a pot and then lay everything out on a sheet pan.  Then we go at it like some ravage beasts.  It's a messy sight.  But in my opinion, the ONLY way to eat a seafood boil is with your hands and to get messy.

From these seafood boils, we usually end up with a bunch of shrimp shells.  Most people might throw them away, but they're like seafood gold.  And one of my favorite things to make with them is a good old fashioned bisque.

A bisque is traditionally a shellfish soup thickened up with cooked rice.  However, in today's sense, most bisques are thickened with a roux for better stability and consistency.  Follow the following steps and you'll have the perfect bisque every time.

#1. Caramelize your mirepoix (carrots, onion, celery) and shellfish shells (you can use any shellfish, but I find shrimp the most practical and inexpensive).

 

#2. Add a tomato product (usually paste) and deglaze the pan with wine (usually white).

 

#3. Add fish/seafood stock or a fish veloute (remember veloute is just a fancy word for gravy!) - it's also a good time to add a sachet of herbs too (mine had thyme, peppercorns, and bay leaves).

 

#4. Incorporate a roux (equal parts flour and fat, by weight) if needed - you can easily make a beurre manie by combining equal part soft butter with flour and forming small balls, then stirring them into the mixture

 

#5. Simmer, skimming occasionally.
#6. Puree the mixture (shells and all) and return to a simmer.
#7. When you've achieved your desired flavor, strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer or chinois.
#8. Return the soup back to the heat and bring to a simmer.  Finish with cream, if desired.

As amateur as it may be... I kind of like my reflection in the spoon =)

And now you've got yourself a bisque!  Garnish with whatever shellfish you used in the broth and some fresh herbs.  Soups don't get any better than this!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

So we made vegetable stock last post.  Now what do we do with it?!

The most obvious and cliche choice would be soup, right?  Right.  And it just so happened that I was really in the mood for some. 

A friend of mine had given me some broccoli from her garden in exchange for some pizza dough and gluten free banana bread (hooray for trades!) a little while back and it had just been sitting in the freezer all this time.  I noticed I had a bunch of cheese in the fridge too.  So it looks like my soup was picked out! 

Broccoli cheddar is just one of those soups that goes so well with a fresh baguette or a sandwich.  It screams comfort to me, and is perfect for a quick lunch.  So let's get to it!


Ingredients:


2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, julienned
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
2 cups vegetable stock
1 large crown of broccoli, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
pinch of nutmeg
1/8 cup basil, chopped
1/2 cup Velveeta (I'm not ashamed)
1/2 cup Colby Jack cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper, to taste

It may seem like a lot of ingredients, but most of these items I have on hand on a regular basis, so I'd assume the same might be said for you all, too!

Melt the butter in a medium sized stock pot under medium high heat.  Add onion and garlic.  Cook until the onions are just translucent, about 3-4 minutes.

Add flour and stir until a light paste is formed.

Add heavy cream, milk, and vegetable stock.  Bring to a boil.

Add broccoli, carrot, nutmeg, and basil.  Simmer mixture for about 20 minutes.

Turn off heat and stir in cheeses.  Stir until melted and season to taste.

You can leave your soup chunky at this point, or if you like a creamier soup, you can puree the mix for a silkier texture.  I chose to puree mine a bit, leaving some chunks for texture.

Serve with cracked black pepper as a garnish and toasty baguette!

See, what did I say?  Lunch (or dinner) in less than 30 minutes!

Enjoy guys!

Tomato & Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup

"Carmageddon" has officially hit Louisville.  While probably not as drastic as the major traffic that was caused in Los Angeles - but definitely something that perturbs me.  I love Louisville for the fact that it doesn't have 'major city traffic'.  Sure, we have crazy rush hour, but nothing compared to cities like LA, New York, or even Nashville.

Until last Friday.  The Sherman-Minton bridge was closed "indefinitely" due to some cracks found in some foundation beams.  While yes, safety is priority - it has put Louisville (and most parts of Southern Indiana - as the bridge connects New Albany, IN to Louisville) in a traffic tizzy, because now everything has to filter through to the other bridge (The Kennedy) - adding about 76,000 more cars that way.  And don't even get me started on the stupid detours.  My normal 20-25 minutes commute to work took a little over an hour today.  Yeah, I wasn't in a good mood.  But surprisingly enough, my commute home was more of normal pace, about 30 minutes.  I'll just have to think smarter for tomorrow's drive in.

Now that I've got my rant out of the way (I'm sure you all just wanted to hear about my traffic annoyances, right?) - let me tell you about something that calms me down... soup.  Yes, soup.  Now that fall has set in, soup will be a regular occurrence in our house - at least weekly.  And this week's soup?  This wonderful tomato and roasted red pepper soup.  Perfect for dipping grilled cheese!

Ingredients: 
Adapted from Sea Salt With Food's recipe

2 Red Bell Peppers
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Onion, peeled and diced

3 Cloves Garlic, peeled and chopped

2 Heirloom Tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 tablespoons Tomato Paste
small handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
4 cups chicken stock
1 & 1/2 teaspoons Cumin
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Sour Cream
Croutons

Broil red peppers under a broiler or open flame on gas stove until charred on all sides.  Place red peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Set aside until cool enough to handle.  Peel, remove seeds, and roughly chop.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven.  Add onion and garlic.  Cook until soft and translucent but not brown in color, about 3 to 5 minutes. Then turn the heat on high and mix in the tomatoes, tomato paste, peppers, cilantro, cumin, and paprika. Sauté the mixture for a minute or 2, and add the chicken stock.  Bring mixture to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes.

Allow the soup mixture to cool slightly, then puree it with an immersion blender. Bring the soup back to the boil and season with some salt and pepper. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, some croutons, and a grilled cheese sandwich (if you're the dipping kind of gal like me!)

This was super tasty, made great use of our CSA tomatoes, and will be a soup that paired perfectly with a simple grilled cheese!


Hope you guys have a great Tuesday!  See you tomorrow night!

Vegetable Barley Soup

I know it's still a little hot outside for soup recipes, but this was too good to pass up.  I'm one of those irrational people that can have soup any time of year - especially when it's chock full of vegetables like this!



The flavor is definitely different, with all of the different herbs involved - but it's definitely a "good" kind of different!

Ingredients:
Adapted from a Bon Appetit recipe

 

4 cups water
2 cups vegetable broth

2 cups chicken stock
1 cup pearl barley, rinsed
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for drizzling
1 large onion, chopped 

1 medium carrot, chopped

1 cup sliced mushrooms

5 cups kale, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup chopped fresh fennel fronds
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
juice from 1 lemon

feta cheese crumbles, optional

Bring 4 cups water, 2 cups vegetable broth, barley, and 1 teaspoon sea salt to boil in large pot. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until barley is tender, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, chopped carrot, and mushrooms to pan.  Sprinkle with sea salt, and sauté until golden brown, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Add onion mixture and remaining 2 cups chicken stock to pot with barley.

Add kale to soup. Simmer until greens are tender, about 15 minutes. Add dill, fennel fronds, and mint; simmer 5 minutes. Add lemon juice. Season soup with sea salt, pepper, thinning with more broth, if desired. Divide soup among bowls. Sprinkle feta cheese over, drizzle with oil, and serve.

 

I even ate this cold for lunch today - and I NEVER eat soup cold.  Now you know it's gotta be good!

Do you guys eat soup in the summer time?  Or am I just a weirdo?

"Asian" Noodle Bowl

Happy Monday guys!  How was everyone's weekend?  Ours wasn't too bad.

With food trucks popping up all over the west and east coast, it's kind of hard not to be aware of them.  But when you live in the Midwest, things are a little bit different.  Louisville is a Commonwealth so it's really hard to change certain regulations - one of them being the allowance of street vendors in most urban areas. 

However, they are actually becoming present here.  One in particular, L'il Cheezers Gourmet Grilled Cheese, has taken Louisville by storm.  We actually got to visit them Saturday night and were very impressed with what we got!  (I'll post pictures tomorrow!) 

But while waiting in line, I, of course, had to take pictures of the truck and such, and ended up including some random guy in one of them.  He came up to us and was like "Hey, sorry for ruining your picture."  And I was like, "no worries, just as long as you're okay with being on my blog".  And so one thing led to another, and as others heard that this girl (me) had a "food blog", I was then passing out my cards left and right.  It was my first experience just letting my blog be known to strangers.  It was exhilarating. 

What am I getting at here?  Well, when I first started my blog, I didn't want to talk about it with anything.  Not that I was "embarrassed" about it, but that it was just my personal outlet, I guess.  Public speaking has never been my forte, and I've been known to get real nervous talking it up in front of a crowd, but this weekend, it was different.  These people showed genuine interest, and hell, if I can get at least one of them to visit or be interested, I'd be happy. 

How about you guys?  Do you openly talk about your blogs?  Did you take a while to be comfortable about it?  Or am I just crazy?

Anyway, I was a little under the weather last week, and wanted something a little different from the normal chicken soup to cure me.  So I gathered what I had laying around and came up with this Asian Noodle Bowl.  It's quite flexibile, and you don't really need to use the ingredients that I've got listed (although it was a great combination!).  Just use what you have on hand and you're bound to discover something wonderful.  And honestly, I think it did help me feel better, too!

Ingredients:
Adapted from The Cilantropist's recipe
Serves 2

2 pork chops
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 oz. Asian egg noodles
1 cup pac choi (same as bok choy)
4 cups chicken stock
1 piece dried Kombu 
Sriracha, (optional)
Red pepper flakes, (optional)
bamboo shoots, drained (optional)

Preheat oven to 300F.

Season chops with salt and pepper.

In a large, oven-proof skillet, heat olive oil under medium high heat.  Brown pork chops on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.

Place skillet in oven and bake chops for about 25-30 minutes, or until cooked through.  Allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

In a large saucepan, bring chicken stock to a boil and add kombu.  Simmer for about 15 minutes.  Add pac choi and blanch for about a minute or two, or until the leaves turn bright green.  Remove pac choi with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate, and set aside. 

Add egg noodles to stock and cook according to package directions until tender.  Mine were "quick" noodles, so it took maybe about 2-3 minutes.  Remove noodles with slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl.

Ladle some stock into a soup bowl and add noodles, pac choi, and bamboo shoots.  Top with sliced pieces of pork chop.  Add red pepper flakes and sriracha, if desired.  Serve while still hot.

This was pretty simple and easy!  And like I said, you could practically use any protein, vegetables, noodle, stock combo you'd like.  This is just what I had on hand and it worked out perfectly!  It was super tasty and definitely helped clear my head of a little bit of illness!

Hope you guys have a great Monday and be back tomorrow!

Potato & Endive Soup

Happy Monday guys!  How was everyone's weekend? 

We were pretty relaxed on our end.  We watched the Superbowl last night with a couple of friends, but considering I didn't care for either team, I didn't quite pay attention very much.  And the commercials... I thought were a major disappointment this year.  I think I maybe laughed once, at a Doritos commercial.  But besides that, all were pretty lame.

And the half-time show.  Don't even get me started.  The best thing about it was the short appearance by Slash.  And then that was quickly ruined by Fergie's failed Axl Rose impersonation.  Seriously Fergie.  Major Fail. 

But this is not a "complain about how much I disliked the Superbowl" blog.  It's a food blog.  And this soup, as weird as the combination of Potatoes & Endive sounds, it was a 'super' bowl of soup.  Yes, I made that corny joke, but seriously...  It was shear awesomeness in a bowl.  Unlike the actual Superbowl,  it does not disappoint.



Ingredients:

4-5 red potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 tablespoons butter
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup pecorino-romano

1 large endive, chopped

2 cloves garlic

2 cups chicken stock

4 anchovy fillets
2 tablespoons golden raisins
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1/2 to 1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper, to taste

mozzarella cheese, shredded (optional)

In a large dutch oven, melt 2 tablespoons of butter.  Add garlic and anchovies.  

 

Once garlic starts to brown, add potatoes, raisins, bay leaf, pine nuts, and escarole. Cover with chicken stock, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes.

 

Puree with immersion blender.  Slowly stir in heavy cream and cayenne pepper.  Then stir in pecorino and cheddar cheese until melted.  You can go ahead and serve the soup now as is, or you can take it to another level and place soup in oven-proof bowls, cover the top lightly with mozzarella cheese, and broil for a few minutes, until cheese is browned.  

 

Now that's heaven in a bowl.  I loved all the different flavors in this soup.  They all melded perfectly together.  Seemingly random ingredients, came together for a flavor party.  And it was a tasty party, at that.  So if you're looking for something new and different, this soup is totally for you!  Enjoy guys!

Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

I feel like such a bad blogger.  I was so caught up and busy yesterday that I didn't have time to post a recipe like I had planned!  So, my apologies!  But I promise... today's recipe is insanely delicious and will well make up for it!

I love fall... obviously.  I've said it a million times since fall started.  And one of the things I love most about fall is the abundance of delicious soups!  Whether it's a hearty bowl of chili, or a nice bowl of classic chicken noodle soup... if it's fall... I've got pretty good odds that I'll be having a bowl of something MANY times over.

So, being bored the other night, I decided to make a spur-of-the-moment soup which I plan to make many times over because it was so delicious!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, diced
2 small, white-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 butternut squash peeled, seeded and diced
1/4 cup apple cider
1/4 cup grated apple
3 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon all spice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
fresh watercress (optional)

Melt the butter in a large pot on medium high heat, then add the onion.  Cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until onion starts to soften.  Add the potatoes and squash and stir.  Let cook another 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so.

Add the apple cider, grated apple, and chicken stock.  Stir and cover the pot.  Let simmer for about 30 minutes.

Using an immersion blender (be careful now!), blend vegetables until smooth and creamy.  Once blended, season with salt, pepper and spices.  You can add or subtract the amount of spice based on your preferences, of course.

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with a few sprigs of watercress.  

Seriously, this is fall in a bowl.  The butternut is the main star, with the subtle apple flavors playing back up.  Every bite is a unique layer of flavor.  This is something you all need to go make now.  It will warm you up and make you smile!  

 Again... thanks for bearing with me on this better late than never post!  Enjoy the rest of your weekend guys and be safe!

Butternut Squash

Cheesy Beefy Potato Soup

First of all... I just want to say, I am so glad to be off work today. It was an absolute madhouse. From crazy customers, to irate individuals, and just a damn busy day... it feels so nice to pop open a Stella and write this blog.

We've all seen those "munchie-themed" movies/tv shows like Half-Baked, or Harold & Kumar, or practically any Dave Chappelle skit, but I was reading an article from MercuryNews.com about a little bakery/shop that provides a "gourmet" look at munchies. Yeah, the menu looked pretty tasty, with things like cheddar jalapeno muffins, Ghiradelli triple-chocolate lavender brownies, pissaliere, and a roasted sun-dried tomato soup. So what's so different about this place? Well, it uses something called "cannabutter"... which is basically melted butter, water, and crushed marijuana mixed together, then allowed to harden. Yeah... a sophisticated pot head's dream right? Well... turns out, even though they've legalized medical marijuana out in California (where the shop is located), some laws haven't been made to allow this sort of thing to keep going on, so the shop is going to have to close down by next Wednesday.

Minus the whole marijuana theme, the actual menu sounds pretty tasty, even without using the illegal goods. Might have to try whipping up my next batch of brownies with a hint of lavender.

Anyway... this potato soup is probably one of the best I've ever had. It's perfectly cheesy, loaded with potatoes, and has that perfect hint of jalapeno and bacon that just set it off!


Ingredients:

8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup flour
5 Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
1 tablespoon butter
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 lb. ground beef
3 cups chicken broth
1 can beer (I just used some Miller Lite I had in the fridge, nothing fancy)
1 teaspoon parsley
1 & 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup jarred jalapenos, diced
1-2 tablespoons liquid from jalapenos
5 strips bacon, cooked until crispy and chopped

In a medium bowl, toss the shredded cheese with the flour and set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add potatoes. Salt well and simmer until soft, about 8-10 minutes (Yukon Golds are pretty soft for a potato to begin with so it shouldn't take long). Drain pot to remove water and return potatoes.

In a large skillet, melt butter under medium high heat. Add the carrots, onion, salt and pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Cook until vegetables have started to soften, about 5 minutes or so. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Strain any fat, if needed. Pour mixture in pot with potatoes.

Add in chicken broth, beer, and parsley and bring heat to about medium. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Add milk and heavy cream. Simmer for another 3-5 minutes, and be careful not to let soup come to a boil. Turn off the heat and stir in cheese until it is all melted. Stir in sour cream and jalapeno juice. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.

Ladle soup into deep bowls and top with chopped jalapenos and chopped bacon.

Like I said, this is one of THE best potato soups I've ever had. I know a lady named Rhonda that makes a hell of a potato soup also, so I can't say it tops hers, but it gives it some stiff competition. Enjoy!

Cream of Mushroom & Chicken Soup

Okay, so first off... I've been noticing a lot of blogs I read (whether about food, politics, everyday life, etc.) sometimes have "theme-days"... so in spirit of all of that... I've decided to make Fridays from now on, FYI Food Science Fridays. What will it pertain, you ask? Well... every Friday, before my recipe, I'm going to give an overview of a journal or research article that pertains to Food Science or Technology.

I do this for 2 major reasons.
#1. I've officially decided I'm going to finish up my Biology degree and then go to grad school for Food Science. So it would benefit me to keep up to date with current research and experiments being conducted to be more familiar with what I'm getting myself into, and to just see what's being done.

#2. I think the scientific part of food development is overlooked. There's so many things out there that you wonder, what does that mean? why is this so? So hopefully, the articles I go over are going to give you a little bit of insight into what you're putting into your mouth and how it even got to you in the first place.

I'm hoping the pieces will be interesting and spark some comments, and hell... who knows, you may be on Jeopardy one day and your Final Jeopardy question may be something you learned from one of my articles. I've already read what I'll be talking about on Friday and I'm not letting you in on anything quite yet, so you'll just have to sneak a peak back on Friday afternoon to find out the interesting tid bit.

Anyway, on to the recipe...

Ingredients:

8-12 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2-3 cooked chicken thighs, skin and bones removed, then shredded

The one thing I love about cream of anything soup is that the prep work doesn't usually involve fine chopping, because at the end of day, you're just going to blend the whole thing up to get a nice smooth consistency anyway, so I wouldn't worry too much about slicing or chopping.

Heat a dutch oven over high heat. Add the olive oil and when shimmering stir in the mushrooms, garlic, and onions. Saute until the mushrooms start to become soft, about 5 minutes.

Season the mushroom mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Add in the chicken broth and cream. Cover and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the mushrooms are completely tender, about 8-10 minutes.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth or at a texture you prefer. Stir in shredded chicken and season with salt and pepper if needed. Ladle into bowls and serve!

I loved this because it was so quick and easy... and flavorful to the extreme! This could even be put on top of pasta or chicken breasts it was so good. I may even use this for the next time I make green bean casserole! Enjoy! And don't forget to come back Friday for the first installment of FYI Food Science Friday!