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Creamy Mushroom Soup from Italy

Creamy soups are around for a long time. They were invented based on the famous “balsamella” sauce that is also known as “béchamel”.

Originally, the well-known sauces “balsamella” (or “besciamella” and alternatively “salsa colla” or “salsa colletta”) were used in the Middle Ages in Tuscany in Italy. The sauce was definitely known to the chefs of Catherina de’ Medici in the 1530s. Food historians suggest that it was imported to France by the chefs of Marie de’ Medici, the second wife of King Henry IV. Thus, the flour-based butter & milk sauce was added to the French cuisine. The original name “balsamella” was then translated as “béchamel”, which later became famous all over the world. Also, skilful cooks and housewives turned the sauce into different creamy soups by diluting it and adding different vegetables to it, including mushrooms.

In the United States, the creamy mushroom soup appeared as a canned product in 1934 by the Campbell Soup Company. Ever since, it is one of the most popular canned soups in America.

My favourite creamy mushroom soup is easy to make and it only uses butter, not flour. The below recipe from Channel 4 is so delicious that I even made it for a Christmas dinner once. I made some slight alterations to the original recipe based on the fact that some ingredients were just not available in my area. I think it is perfect and I would recommend making the soup based on this slightly modified recipe. It is perfect for occasions, too as it easily lends itself for professional presentation!

Ingredients:

  • 25 gram butter
  • 1 large onion (finely chopped)
  • 400 gram large, flat, brown-skinned mushrooms (thinly sliced)
  • 600 ml vegetable stock (preferably home-made or if packaged, use “organic”)
  • 500 ml milk
  • Juice of one lemon
  • Few dollops of single cream (to garnish)
  • Handful of pine nuts (toasted and to garnish)
  • Fresh chives (snipped to garnish)

Preparation method:

  • Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the onion. Sweat it on a low heat until softened. Avoid browning.
  • Add the mushrooms to the saucepan and cook it for a few minutes so that the mushrooms wilt.
  • Stir in the stock and the milk and bring the soup to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
  • Allow the soup to cool. Once it is cool, transfer it into a blender and liquidise it. Season well, add the lemon juice and blend it briefly once again.
  • Transfer to soup bowls and garnish with fresh cream, toasted pine nuts and fresh chives.

Bon appetite!

Spinach & Tofu Cannelloni from Italy

Cannelloni is a typical Italian dish, which can be made with minced beef, cheese and/or vegetables. Cannelloni is typically made with a cylindrical type of pasta or with fresh lasagne sheets that are rolled over around the filling. Cannelloni is typically sitting on tomato sauce and sometimes either tomato or béchamel sauce is used on the top of the dish. Most of the time, cheese is sprinkled on its top and then the dish is baked so that the flavours mingle and the topping turns brown and slightly crispy.

There is little to know about the origins of cannelloni. Probably it originates from the 19th or early 20th Century and it is associated with the name of Nicola Federico, an Italian chef. It is thought that he created the cannelloni in a small restaurant in Naples. From the little restaurant, the cannelloni spread all over the world. It became very popular; so much that probably most Italian restaurants offer it on their menu.

I often make cannelloni based on the below vegetarian recipe that I found on BBC Good Food. It is very healthy and nutritious as it uses spinach and tofu for filling. The dish is sitting on a bed of tomato sauce and tomato sauce is used on its top, too. Instead of cheese, nuts and breadcrumbs are used to achieve the crispy finish.

The dish contains ample amount of vitamins and nutrients. Thanks to the spinach, vitamin K, A, B2, B6, E, manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, copper and calcium are included in the dish, amongst other nutrients. The tofu mostly contributes calcium, manganese, copper, selenium and protein and also includes other minerals and vitamins to a lesser extent. Nuts and the ample amount of tomato sauce used in this dish provide additional valuable nutritional content.

This spinach & tofu cannelloni serves 4 people. Serve it with steamed or stir-fried French beans, broccoli or okra or mix them all up for a lovely side dish. Try it today and enjoy both the health benefits and the lovely taste of this dish!

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 onion (finely chopped)
  • 3 garlic cloves (minced)
  • 2 cans of chopped tomatoes (400 grams each)
  • 50 grams of pine nuts or walnuts (roughly chopped)
  • 400 gram bag of frozen spinach (defrosted)
  • 350 gram pack of silken tofu
  • 300 gram pack of fresh lasagne sheets
  • 4 tablespoons of fresh breadcrumbs
  • Salt (according to taste)
  • Pepper (according to taste)
  • Basil or oregano or Italian mixed herbs (according to taste)
  • Pinch of grated nutmeg

Preparation method:

  • Sweat the onion in half of the oil in a saucepan. Add one-third of the garlic and fry until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Pour in the tomatoes, season with salt, pepper and basil / oregano / Italian mixed herbs. Bring the sauce to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Pre-heat the oven to 180 Celsius.
  • Heat half the oil in a saucepan and fry one-third of the garlic for 1 minute. Add half the pine nuts / walnuts and the spinach. Wilt the spinach and tip out the excess liquid.
  • Whizz tofu in a food processor until smooth. Add it to the spinach & nut mixture. Add the nutmeg and some pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  • Pour half of the tomato sauce into a 20 cm x 30 cm ovenproof dish. Divide the spinach, nut & tofu mixture between the lasagne sheets. Roll the lasagne sheets up and lay them on top of the tomato sauce in the ovenproof dish.
  • Pour half of the tomato sauce over the lasagne sheets, cover with aluminium foil and bake the dish for 30 minutes.
  • Mix breadcrumbs with one-third of the garlic and half of the pine nuts / walnuts. Sprinkle this mixture over the dish, drizzle with a little oil and bake for 10 minutes uncovered until the crumbs and nuts are golden.

Bon appetite!

Pommes Boulangere from France

The French term, “pommes boulangere” simply means “potatoes from the baker”. It is a lovely baked potato-based dish with a little story behind it. Centuries ago, when homes in rural France were not equipped with ovens, women still wanted to present baked dishes to their families. For Sunday lunches, they prepared potato-based casseroles in their homes. On their way to church, along with a piece of lamb they took their casseroles to the local baker’s. While they attended the service, the meal was baking in the shop’s oven. When the service was over, they just picked up their dishes and soon enough, they could serve roast lamb surrounded with pommes boulangere” to their families for a Sunday treat.

It is important that “pommes boulangere” is made of very thinly sliced potatoes and onions. If it is prepared this way, the top layer of the potatoes will be crisp and slightly brown, while the lower layers will become thick and moist.

Non-vegetarians can enjoy this dish in the traditional way, served with roast meat. For vegetarians, it can be served with steamed or stir-fried French beans or mixed vegetables. Alternatively, it can be offered with a lovely salad. In my view, fresh spinach works particularly well with this dish.

I found the following recipe for 6 portions on the website of Forks over Knives. It was designed by an American chef, Ramses Bravo. In my opinion, it is lovely when it is freshly-baked, but perhaps the next day it is even better as the flavours get absorbed into the potatoes and the tastes mature a bit. Now, let’s see the recipe!

Ingredients:

  • 1 leek (thinly sliced)
  • 1 yellow onion (thinly sliced)
  • 1 stalk celery (thinly sliced)
  • 2 shallots (thinly sliced)
  • 2 tablespoons garlic (minced)
  • 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
  • 1 tablespoon granulated onion
  • 5 litre low-sodium vegetable broth (preferably home-made or if you used packaged, use organic vegetable stock)
  • 9 medium potatoes (peeled and very thinly sliced)
  • 1 tablespoon chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley, or 1 teaspoon dried
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried

Preparation method: 

  • Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius. Place the leek, onion, celery, shallots, and garlic in a large dry saucepan over low to medium heat and cook until the onion starts to brown (approximately 5 minutes). Stir occasionally to avoid the ingredients sticking to the pan.
  • Stir in the granulated garlic and granulated onion and cook for further 2 minutes. Stir in the broth, increase the heat to medium-high, and simmer. Cook until the liquid reduces to half.
  • Add the potatoes and stir the ingredients until well combined. Decrease the heat to low and cook until the potatoes are translucent, about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to avoid the potatoes sticking together.
  • Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley and thyme. Transfer to large baking dish (approximately 33 cm x 22 cm) and bake uncovered for about 25 minutes. The potatoes should turn tender in the dish and the top layer of them should brown slightly.

Bon appetite!

Vichyssoise Soup from New York City

The Vichyssoise soup is a versatile dish, as it can be served both hot and cold. Originally, it is made of pureed leeks, onions, potatoes, cream and chicken stock. Nevertheless, vegetarians can also enjoy this lovely soup if they replace the chicken stock to vegetable stock.

The soup’s origins are debated by food historians. Some believe it is a French dish; others regard it as an “American invention”. Most often, Louis Diat, a French chef of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New York City is credited with the soup’s recipe or at least with its re-invention based on childhood memories of a similar soup he enjoyed when growing up in France.

When the soup first appeared on the menu of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in 1917, it was called “Crème Vichyssoise Glacée”. Later, from the 1930s onwards, it was simply referred to as “Vichy”. Today, its is most often called “Vichyssoise”. It sounds very elegant, doesn’t it?

I came across the recipe of the Vichyssoise soup when I attended an intermediary cookery course at the Ashburton Cookery School in the United Kingdom. The soup we prepared at the course under the guidance of professional chefs was of restaurant quality, both by taste and look. It’s an easy but very impressive dish, in my opinion.

The original recipe of the Ashburton Cookery School contains chicken stock. I changed it to vegetable stock when I became vegetarian. In my opinion, it is equally delicious. I would recommend trying this fabulous recipe either way, according to your taste.

Vichyssoise Soup from Found on onionchoco.blogspot.com picture
http://onionchoco.blogspot.ae/
Ingredients:

  • 25 gram butter
  • 100 gram onion (finely chopped)
  • 200 gram leek (finely sliced)
  • 150 gram potato (peeled and finely chopped)
  • 500 millilitre vegetable stock (preferably home made or organic packaged)
  • 50 millilitre double cream
  • Salt according to taste
  • Pepper according to taste
  • Handful of chives (finely chopped)

Preparation method:

  • Melt the butter and seat the leeks and onions until softened.
  • Add the stock and potatoes and bring to a simmer. Stir constantly and add a little stock occasionally to keep topped up to the 500-millilitre level while it simmers.
  • When the potatoes are thoroughly cooked, allow the soup to cool slightly and then liquidise the soup until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve.
  • Add the double cream and adjust the consistency with a little more stock if necessary.
  • Season with salt and pepper and garnish with the chopped chives.

Once you prepared the soup, serve it either hot or cold. Don’t forget to decorate with finely chopped chives to get the restaurant-look!

Bon appetite!

Marvellous Mediterranean Spaghetti from Italy

I am a big fan of Italian flavours and I believe that there is nothing better than an easy pasta dish for a light, weekday dinner. I often browse recipes on the website of “Forks over Knives”, where I have recently come across this pasta dish. When I prepared it for the first time, it was an instant hit for us. It has fresh, spring-like qualities and it is an incredibly well-balanced dish, in my view. The vegetables just work perfectly well in its sauce and the dish is simply very delicious.

When I looked at the recipe more closely, I discovered that it was developed by Ella Woodward, the author of the popular food blog “Deliciously Ella”. She deserves full credit for this marvellous spaghetti. Nevertheless, I made some minor modifications to the original recipe due to the fact that some ingredients are not always available in the area where I live.

Mediterranean Vegetable Spaghetti from www.deliciouslyella.com
http://deliciouslyella.com/
Let’s see how to make this marvellous mediterranean spaghetti with my minor changes.

Ingredients:

  • 1 packet of durum pasta
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into small pieces
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into small pieces
  • 2 plum tomatoes, deseeded and sliced into eights (if plum tomatoes are not available, other types can be used)
  • 2 tablespoons of tomato purée
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 large or 2 smaller aubergines, sliced into small rounds and then quarters (alternatively use 1 zucchini, as per the original recipe)
  • 1 bunch of spinach
  • Handful of olives (use deseeded and sliced ones if possible)
  • 12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • Salt according to taste
  • 2 tablespoons of Italian or French dried herbs
  • Pepper according to taste
  • 200 ml water

Preparation method:

  • Boil the pasta, according to packet instructions. Once it is ready, set aside.
  • Put the sliced aubergines in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and pepper and olive oil. Set aside.
  • Put the peppers, tomatoes, salt and dried herbs into a saucepan. Add the water to the saucepan and simmer the vegetables slowly. In case the vegetables start to brown, add more water and stir gently. Slowly cook for a few minutes.
  • Once the vegetables wilted, add the tomato purée and the juice of the lime.
  • Cook the vegetables for a few more minutes and let it slowly combine to form the sauce.
  • Once the sauce is ready, add the cherry tomatoes, aubergine slices (or zucchini slices) and the spinach leaves. Cook gently until the ingredients mix well.
  • Add the olives and additional dried herbs according to taste.
  • Combine the sauce with the pasta and mix well. Cook for a further a few minutes as the pasta will need to be heated.

Mediterranean Vegetable Spaghetti from www.myrecipes.com
www.myrecipes.com
 This pasta dish is perfect on its own. If you prefer, you may serve it with parmesan.

Bon appetite!