After my now famous cake disaster, I needed to calm down. Make myself believe in my skills again… Because I still think I have a certain panache in the kitchen. So I went back to basics and simplicity, using an ingredient I simply never get tired of: mushrooms! And this recipe is so easy; I knew it was impossible for me to miss it.
This Mushroom Cappuccino doesn’t reinvent anything. It’s a mushroom soup, but it’s tasty and when presented with a sense of style it can be damn impressive. It’s a great introduction to a meal if you have guests coming over. Mushrooms can be expensive (if you buys the fancy ones) but they can also be really cheap. Simple white mushrooms, when cooked for a long time, become full of flavor and take up all the smokiness needed for tasty recipes. So don’t buy fancy mushrooms for this recipe. Even better, if you’ve got some mushrooms in your fridge and they’re starting to look a little faded, then this is the perfect camouflage for them!
Do you think I succeeded with this recipe? I sure did! So I’m back on track. Although this was far from a baking experience, it still gave me that little extra confidence kick that I needed to start liking my kitchen again. And the next time that I bake, I just might get better results… If you keep on reading my posts, you might be in the front row… watching me succeed… or fail!!!
MUSHROOM CAPPUCCINO Makes 6 servings
1 onion, finely chopped
4 branches celery, finely chopped
2 tbsp butter
500 g mushrooms, sliced
1 small potato, peeled and chopped
Salt and pepper
1 cup 35% cream
1 tbsp fresh or dried thyme
2 tbsp fresh Italian parsley
15 g dried porcini mushroom, finely chopped or grated (optional)
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
PREPARATION
Whip ½ cup of the cream and reserve in the fridge.In a large saucepan, melt the onion, the celery and the garlic in the butter over medium heat.Add the mushrooms, bringing the heat up. Cook until all the juices have evaporated. Add the potato along with salt, pepper, thyme and parsley. Add the porcini mushrooms (keep a small piece on the side for decoration). Bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes, half covered.
Take of the heat a let cool for a few minutes. Add ½ cup of the cream to the soup and pass in the blender. Keep warm over low heat.
Serve in 4 nice bowls or cappuccino cups. Top with the whipped cream and finish by grating some porcini mushrooms on top. Note: You don’t need to add the porcini mushrooms to the soup but if you do, it will add a lot of flavor to your soup.
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