re-Tweak: Cream of Mushroom Soup!!

Shiitake and Friends Creamy Mushroom Soup's back for take-two! This time, I used chicken fat ("butter") leftover from Mum's Chicken Soup and olive oil to fry the shallots and garlic instead of ordinary butter. Added some slices of mushrooms for the extra chew, and sneaked a few strips of bacon in the soup for that alluring aroma. I also made it a little more chunky and less creamy for that extra hearty feel. (:

So what was Mum and Dad's verdict this time? Two Thumbs Up! =D

The next soup I want to try out would be Seafood Bisque, a hearty tomato-based seafood soup! I might even try that out with some puff pastry on top! So keep your eyes peeled for the next delicious post! ;P

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Recipe: Shiitake and Friends Creamy Mushroom Soup

I love Cream of Mushroom Soup, especially those greyish kinds with bits of mushroom pieces in. The yellow-white/pale ones remind me of Campbell, lots of cream but very little mushrooms. This is my very own recipe for a low salt Cream of Mushroom Soup. I use lots of Shiitake mushrooms because they are very fragrant, and together with other mixed mushrooms, I call it "Shiitake and Friends"! I'm very proud of this because it was successful on the first attempt! (:



Ingredients:
1 packet (200g) Shiitake Mushrooms
1 packet (250g) Mixed Mushrooms
1 clove Garlic, crushed
2 small Shallots, minced
1/2 or 1 Bayleaf
3 tbsp Full cream
1/2 cube Vegetable Stock
70g Butter
700ml to 800ml Water
Salt, Freshly Ground Black Pepper
A dash of Parsley (Optional)



1. Heat a pot on medium fire. Meanwhile, crush garlic, mince shallots and dice all the mushrooms into small pieces.

2. Melt the butter in the pot.

3. When all the butter has melted, add in the shallots and garlic.

4. Fry for about 3 minutes.


5. Now, add in the mushrooms. Keep stirring so that the mushrooms on top also get fried by the butter at the bottom. Make sure the mushrooms are well mixed, and fry for about 6 to 7 minutes. The mushrooms should be glazed and not dry and spongy.

6. Add the hot water and vegetable stock. Stir and boil for 5 minutes or until the stock cube has melted completely.

7. Add full cream and stir well until the soup becomes thick.


8. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, stir regularly. If you see a layer of oil forming on top of the soup, scoop it out and discard.

9. Blend the soup in a blender. If you like a chunky soup with bits of mushroom, separate the soup into two parts. Blend the first part until it becomes thick but not chunky. Then blend the second part to desired fineness. Do not blend too much if you like to chew on bits of mushroom in your soup.

10. Serve warm with a dash of parsley and/or freshly ground black pepper. Also goes well with toast, garlic bread or pasta. Bon Appetit! (:

Note: This is the low-salt version of the soup. You should add salt to taste just before serving or let guests help themselves with the salt-shaker.

You can make variations of the soup with different mushrooms. Porcini, Portobello, Button and Swiss Brown are all great mushrooms for this recipe. For a smoother, less chunky soup, you can either blend it more finely, add more cream or add less mushrooms.

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MarketWatch: Hokkaido Cheese

My aunt and uncle just came back from their visit to Hokkaido, and brought back some delicious Limited Edition Hokkaido Scenery Cheese by Snow (brand). The cheese is delicious and had a creamy full-bodied flavour, and at a really low sodium content at 224 mg per 100g! The calcium is not bad for a cream cheese at 115 mg per 100g. Pity the inevitable high phosphate for all diary products, though.

Every cheese has a label with an illustration of parts of Hokkaido on it! Could be a collector's item. ;)

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