Mushroom Soup

I was cruising the internet for a mushroom soup recipe the other night, and came across this one based on a recipe from Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles cookbook. Normally I wouldn't think a fancy French soup recipe would fit the bill for an easy weeknight meal, but the poster said Bourdain said this was "the easiest recipe in the book", so I decided to give it a go. And I must say, it is nothing if not easy. Very few ingredients, hardly any prep, and a delicious soup at the end. I'd say it's a keeper!


Mushroom Soup


1 - 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 -3 Tbsp Butter, or More Olive Oil, or Earth Balance
1 Onion, thinly sliced
12 oz. Mushrooms, white, crimini, or a combination, halved
4 Cups Broth, Veggie or Chicken
1 Sprig Parsley
2 oz. Dry Sherry
Salt and Pepper to Taste (I ended up not using any, and the soup was delicious!)



Heat 2 tsp each olive oil and butter, or 4 tsp olive oil, in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook until soft but not brown, 6 minutes or so. Add another tablespoon (or more) of butter, oil, or a combination, then add the mushrooms. Cook until they have released their liquid and it is starting to cook off, about 8 minutes.



Add in the broth and parsley. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer for one hour. Blend with an immersion blender (or in a regular blender) until smooth. Stir in the dry sherry and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve and enjoy!

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Braised Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms and Potatoes : remodel dinner #11

Yesterday the workers were only here until 6. Which is much better than 7:45. I wanted to make a special dinner for my sweetie (no particular reason) and took my inspiration from this Chicken with White Wine Sauce recipe.

There were three lonely pieces of bacon in the fridge, so I started with those. Fried up until they were pretty crispy, then took them out and browned the chicken thighs that I had sprinkled with kosher salt.



Once they were browned, I removed them along with most of the grease in the pan (soaked it up with paper towels because it was easy), then added a diced onion and a few tablespoons of chopped green garlic. After a little while, I added 8 ounces of sliced white mushrooms and a few teaspoons or so of dried basil and continued cooking until the mushrooms were brown.

Next I added about 1/2 cup of white wine and maybe a cup or so of chicken broth. I put the chicken thighs back in the pan, covered it with the lid and let it cook for maybe 15 minutes (I wasn't really keeping track of the time). I wanted to minimize the amount of dishes, so rather than make rice I just added some red creamer potatoes to the pan with the chicken and let it cook until they were done, maybe 15 minutes longer. A few Tbsp of wine with a little corn starch stirred in thickened it up just a touch. Then I chopped up the bacon and sprinkled it on top with some fresh flat leaf parsley.


I served this delicious concoction with a tasty green salad with ranch dressing. Yum yum yum! (Too bad the Celtics couldn't have been as successful as this dish!)

Lasagna in a Mushroom

Some time back I got the idea to stuff some big mushrooms with cheese somehow, but never got around to trying it out. Then lately I have been wanting lasagna or some other baked pasta and somehow this dish was born.

My son and I went back and forth on what to call it, and finally settled on:

Lasagna in a Mushroom




For the Sauce

1 tsp Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Minced Onions
1 Clove Garlic, Minced or Pressed
8 Ounces Tomato Sauce
Pinch Each Salt and Pepper
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1/4 tsp Dried Thyme
1/4 tsp Dried Basil


Heat the oil in a small sauce pan over medium-low to medium heat. Add the minced onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and spices and cook and stir for about one minute. Stir in the tomato sauce, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the flavors come together, about 20 minutes.

For the Mushrooms

4 Portobella Mushrooms
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Pinch Each Salt and Pepper

Preheat your oven to the highest broiler setting and place the top rack about 6 inches from the broiler

Remove the stems and gills from the mushrooms. Combine the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Brush over both sides of the mushrooms and set aside to marinate for about 10 minutes. Place the mushrooms 'gill'-side down on a baking sheet and broil until soft and beginning to brown on the edges, about 7-8 minutes. Remove from the oven and flip them over, 'gill'-side up.

For the Stuffing

1 Bunch Spinach, Leaves Only, Washed and Coarsely Chopped (Don't dry them, the water will help cook the spinach)
1 Cup Ricotta Cheese
1/4 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp Pepper
1 Tbsp Fresh Basil


Put the spinach leaves in a nonstick skillet over medium low heat, and cook until wilted and all of the moisture has evaporated, about 6 minutes or so. If you can't add the spinach all at once, add more as it wilts down. It will cook down quite a bit.

Combine the ricotta, parmesan, spinach, pepper, and basil in a small bowl.

Remaining Ingredients

4 Thin Slices Cheese, Fontina, Mozzarella, Muenster or other good melting cheese.
Chopped Fresh Basil for Garnish

To Complete the Dish


Lower the oven to 350

Spread 1/4 of the sauce in each mushroom. Top with 1/4 of the ricotta cheese mixture, and one thin slice of your melting cheese. Put the baking sheet back in the oven, and bake the mushrooms until heated through and the cheese has melted, 5-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and garnish with fresh basil. If your cheese is taking too long to melt (or you like it a bit browner), you can use the broiler to melt it, which should only take 1-2 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil.

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