Tag: mushroom

Cream of Mushroom Soup

The Best Cream of Mushroom Soup

This Cream of Mushroom Soup is amazing and I’m not just saying that.  I’ve been a huge fan of this soup since I was very young and, like many of you, I love mushrooms and I know a fantastic recipe when I taste one.  It’s got that perfect sweet creaminess and mushroom flavor that you would expect this soup to have and it can be made in just a matter of minutes.  There’s several different ways you can prepare this soup and I’m going to share some information that will completely change the texture of your recipe.

Mushroom Soup Mushrooms

If you’re wondering what kind of mushrooms you should use to make your Mushroom Soup, don’t sweat it.  Just use what’s available to you.  I decided to keep it simple, so I chose to buy White Button Mushrooms, but you could probably get away with anything healthy and edible.  But, unless you’re looking to trip, I would highly recommend staying away from anything psychedelic.

How you cut the mushrooms, however, seems to make all the difference in the world with the actual texture of the soup.  In the video tutorial I chop them in a food processor because it’s convenient, faster and less to clean up.  But, the over all outcome of the Mushroom Soup changes, in both look and texture, vs. traditionally chopping the buttons by hand.  Chopping them by hand leaves the soup more white and creamy.  Blending them gives the soup a Cookies and Cream look with speckles of dark spots, from the chopped gills of the mushrooms, in the soup.  This is also what gives the Mushroom Soup a real nice and different texture than you might be use to but I really think you’ll like it.

Cream of Mushroom Soup Ingredients:

8 oz Mushrooms, chopped
1/2 Onion, chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
2 tbsp butter
1/3 cup flour
2 cups Beef Broth
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1 dash Nutmeg
Salt and Pepper to taste

Caprese Portobellos with Balsamic Glaze

The Best Caprese Portobellos

If you love Mushrooms and you love Caprese, you are absolutely going to love this Caprese Portobellos recipe because it combines the best of both worlds.  Using Large Portobello mushroom caps gives a ton of surface area to cram in plenty of Mozzarella, Tomatoes and Fresh Basil.  And, if you prepare your dish the way I show you how to do it, you’re whole world will change.  So open your mind to other possibilities and I’ll show you how to make the best Mushroom Caprese.

What is Caprese Portobellos

To understand Caprese you must understand, first, that it is a traditional Italian recipe that usually breaks down to 3 basic ingredients: Mozzarella, Tomatoes and Fresh Basil.  Many folks consider Caprese Antipasto ingredients and many Caprese Salad recipes exist because of the over all freshness the combination provides.  My sources tell me that the real Caprese is just Buffalo Mozzarella, which is made from Buffalo milk and it’s a typical dish served in the Isle of Capri.

Normally, Caprese Portobellos is prepared and served with fresh Tomatoes but I am recommending my Marinated and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, instead, for several reasons.  First, because roasted cherry tomatoes are awesome, so that’s just a no brainer, and second because you want to add olive oil to the mushrooms and the olive oil, marinating the cherry tomatoes, has garlic and fresh herbs roasted into it.  So it really enhances the flavor, a ton.  If you want to use fresh tomatoes, instead, that’s fine too but I highly recommend mixing a 1/4 cup of olive oil with some fresh chopped garlic and a pinch of salt, at the very least, and add that to the mushrooms.

Also, when it comes to the Balsamic Glaze, most recipes recommend a 1 to 4 ratio of Brown Sugar and Balsamic Vinegar.  I don’t agree with this at all and I was trained to balance the bitter with more sweet.  I would recommend a 1 to 1 ratio, instead but that’s entirely up to you.  Bring it to boil and reduce the heat to medium.  Cook it for 5 minutes until the sauce reduces and practically caramelizes and you will have a perfect glaze.

Caprese Portobellos Ingredients:

4 to 6 Large Portobello Mushroom Caps
4 oz Cherry Tomatoes, marinated & roasted
1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese
6 Fresh Basil leaves, chopped
2 tbsp Butter, melted
1 Garlic Clove, chopped
Salt and Pepper, taste

Balsamic Glaze
1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
2 tbsp Brown Sugar

Be sure to watch the short video tutorial for this Caprese Portobellos recipe and follow the recommendations in this post for a perfect dish.