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Monday 17 December 2012

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.

24 comments:

  1. It is raining everyday here....and a bowl of warm soup just the perfect thing to warm my stomach. I loves soup n your mushroom soup looks so inviting. Slurpppppp!!

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    Replies
    1. Yea, nothing beats a nice warm bowl of hearty soup to liftthe spirits up :)

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  2. Esther, when I was small I didn't like the Campbell mushroom soup. I thought it smelled funny :D But I appreciated it when I was much older. I loved it with lots of pepper and toast. This home made mushroom soup sure looks good. I can toss in my choice of mushrooms and I will try it soon!

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    Replies
    1. PH, you know what, i also think that Campbell soup does have a funny smell hahaha! Smell artificial :p but i still love it :p yes, make your own and you can add lots of your preferred mushroom varieties in the soup.

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  3. I love this Jamie Oliver recipe! Great soup.

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    Replies
    1. Yea, the lemon zest threw me off a bit at first, but after a while, i really liked the combination.

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  4. Mushrooms, cream and thyme? Oh, boy, this sounds like one incredible soup! Gorgeous, too!

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  5. Hi Esther,

    Scary that the end of the year is here again! 2012 have been great for me too! I started Cook like a Star. Cooked and baked like a crazy baking woman... LOL!

    This soup is fantastic and hope to stay tune with lots of your cooking and baking next year :D

    Zoe

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    Replies
    1. Zoe, you have most certainly been baking up a storm!! Good job, love those amazing bakes on your blog :)

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  6. Mushroom soup is a favourite of mine for sure. A perfect starter for a dinner.

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  7. OOOh I love a good mushroom soup and anything coming out of Jamie's kitchen is a fav :).

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    Replies
    1. Ya, the naked chef does have some pretty good recipes :p

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  8. I also made this mushroom soup just recently, love it without the usual cream :) i like that yours add hokto straw mushrooms.
    2013 is going to be another great year :)

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    Replies
    1. Shannon, i was a bit hesitant about the cream, coz the potato will already make it creamy, but decided to go ahead and follow the recipe. Yummy, but i think it will still be good without it, just perhaps a tad more watery.

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  9. Mmmm I love Jamie Oliver's version of mushroom soup too, really yummy! Yours look really delicious!

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  10. Hi Esther, your comfort soup sure look appetizing. Slurrppppp :)

    Have a nice day,regards.

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  11. oh, i saw this toojamie oliver's soup in shannon's blog the other day and i'm going to try it too some day. It really sounds like the real mushroom soup to me!

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    Replies
    1. Oh yea, think i remembered something similar on Shannon's blog. Great minds think alike, esp during Christmas heehee.

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