Christmas Menu: Soup - Jamie Oliver's Mushroom Soup

Picture taken from the website www.dailyrecord.co.uk

It's just 8 more days to Christmas! On one hand, I'm excited and looking forward it, but on the other hand I can't help feeling wistful and a bit reflective that it's another year drawing to a close. Now where did I put that list of resolutions for 2012?! :P

 

Nevertheless, I will always remember 2012 as the year where this blog began :) It has truly been an enjoyable experience - a new passion, new hobby, new friends, and LOTS of new recipes.

 

Bring on 2013!

 

 

To round off this year on a festive note, I will share some ideas for a Christmas meal that is easy and delicious.  It is a 4 course meal and a drink at the end.  Some of the food can also be prepared in stages beforehand, so you can plan and spread out the work and leave the final stages just prior to the actual mealtime. This means you will actually be able to sit down and enjoy the meal with your family and guests without feeling (AND looking) like a stressed out/frazzled cook!

 

Christmas Menu: Soup - Jamie Oliver's Mushroom Soup

 

When we were young, mushroom soup means Campbell.  And honestly, I love it.  Back then, to us kids campbell mushroom soup was an occassional treat when the family goes out for a Western meal.

Fast forward to current times, the good ol mushroom soup has evolved into a glamorous, hoity toity item on the menu called wild mushroom soup.  Order it at some fancy restaurant and expect it to be cooked with dried porcini and Mascarpone cheese, served with crostini (what is that?!).  Our humble canned shroom soup has certainly gone high class.

If you are making it at home, the beauty is you have the liberty to pick and choose the ingredients that go into your soup.  I love all the different varieties of mushroom available, and for this soup, I like to use Swiss brown and white button mushrooms, and a few packs of those beautiful Japanese hokto brown and white straw mushrooms. 

I served the soup with some homemade toasted cranberry bread

Christmas Menu: Dish #1 - Jamie Oliver's Mushroom Soup
Source:  Jamie Oliver "the real mushroom soup", with adjustments

• 450g of mushrooms, roughly chopped or sliced (mix of white and brown button mushrooms and hokto straw mushrooms).
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1 pip of garlic, minced
• 1 small russet potato, roughly choped
• 600ml water
• 200ml full cream milk
• 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• Pinch of lemon zest
• Truffle oil
• Olive oil
• 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder
• Generous dash of salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.  Heat some olive oil and gently fry the onion and garlic until fragrant.  Add the potato pieces and water.  Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 10-20min until the potatoes are softened. 

2.  Add the mushrooms, half of the chopped thyme, chicken stock powder and bring to another boil.  Let simmer for 10min.

3.  Use a handblender and blitz into a rough textured soup.  Add the cream and season with rock salt and pepper. 

4.  Pour into serving bowls or soup plates, drizzle a circle of truffle oil on top and sprinkle with lemon zest and the remaining chopped thyme.  Serve immediately.

If mushroom soup is not a favourite at home, how about a hearty bowl of creamy leek and potato soup?

Click HERE for the recipe.