creamy mushroom soup with sherry

five days after larry returned

from chicago,

he was tasked with spending

the day in washington d.c.

he was to wake up early,

catch the 7 am train down

and the 6 pm back up.

for my part,

i had been actively

collecting different types

of mushroom for the past

several days, along with

dried mixed wild mushrooms,

and i knew that i wanted to

greet larry home on this

especially cold and rainy

fall day with a bowl of

mushroom soup.

but cut to that evening.

i was in the midst of

work craziness and larry

was able to catch

the 5 o'clock train.

when i got the text around

7:35 that he was about

25 minutes from pulling into

penn station, i looked at the

pile of raw, still uncleaned

and unsliced mushrooms.

and then i kind of panicked.

i had been craving mushroom soup

for quite a long time.

first i found the dried mushrooms

at an excellent price.

then food52 ran their

mushroom soup contest.

and then shiitakes went on sale

the same weekend that i found

beautiful creminis for what i still think,

is a very good deal.

so then, i did what i always do:

research like crazy. i found recipes

that were thick,

bowls of clear broth dotted

with ingredients,

soups without dairy and those

so brimming with cream,

i wondered if you could even

taste the mushrooms.

when i was done, i realized two things:

none of the recipes were exactly what i

was looking for and if i wanted a delicious,

truly mushroom soup, i better use

a ridiculous amount of mushrooms.

and, so, larry returned home

at almost 9 pm to a very hot

kitchen and me muttering things

like crazy and too many mushrooms.

whose recipe is it, larry asked?

to which i stepped down from the chair

i had been standing on - directly above

the stove to take a good picture -

and said, my own. i made it up. i'm a fool.

i think the mushroom fumes may have

gotten to me. it wasn't really that bad.

but when you start out after 7:30 at night

with 40 ounces of mushrooms,

each one demanding of you to

clean them gently

slice them nicely

saute them deliciously,

and still expect you to take their

picture frequently, maybe you don't

love all those mushrooms

you once so lovingly chose from the lot.

after they had been sliced, i had an epiphany.

they were never going to saute well in

a stock pot. instead, they would steam,

rendering themselves flabby and flavorless.

so i knew that my best bet was to

dirty another pan by sauteing them first

in the largest skillet i own, deglazing

and then transferring the whole mixture

to a saucepot with broth.

that was my aha! moment.

the next one was about

1 minute later when i looked

at the mushrooms sitting well above

the rim of the skillet and thought

hmm, now what?

at that point, i had no choice but to

remove half the mushrooms from

the skillet, brown the ones that

stayed and then switch them out

with the raw slices. when they were

all cooked, i tossed them back into

the skillet, added several splashes

of sherry and let them sizzle.

that's when larry came home.

from where i was standing -

high on that well-positioned chair -

i saw the kitchen for the first time

through a newcomers eyes.

several cabinet doors open,

kahlua,

gin

and

vodka on the counter.

(i swear, i was looking for the sherry.)

a few mushrooms had fallen to the floor -

this was the first time i noticed.

oh goodness, i made a mess.

it's fine. every thing's fine,

i promised. i brought the mushrooms

and broth to a boil, along with the

soaking mixture from the dried mushrooms

and set to work making the kitchen

not look like the laboratory of a lunatic.

pureeing the soup was

a last minute decision -

up until that time, i still thought

about leaving it brothy and

heavily dotted with mushrooms.

but, i'm so glad that i yet again

pulled out the immersion blender.

the hot liquid was transformed from

a simple fall soup to an

creamy mixture that was earthy and filling.

the best part?

i didn't need any milk or cream.

i had bought a carton of milk,

just in case. but when i tasted

the soup, it didn't need it.

i just added a bit more broth

to thin the whole thing out,

tasted it and realized

the pot was fine and that

it was time for me to walk away.

or, um, spoon them into bowls

so that larry could finally eat

dinner. and then (then!),

i topped the soup with

one of my favorite things:

roasted mushrooms.

oh! these are totally optional

and to be honest,

soup is probably not the best

dish to let them strut their stuff,

but wow are they good.

like everything else that benefits

from roasting, they lose all of

their moisture so that their

mushroom flavor is completely

concentrated. they become crispy

and amazingly decadent and you'll

swear you're eating something

so much more than a slice of mushroom.

when i spoke of this soup

the next day, i chose not to mention

that by the time

the picture taking was done

and the goat cheese toasts

for dunking were made,

we didn't eat it until close to 10.

or the fact that when we finished

eating, i ran into the kitchen first

saying, see, it's not so bad in here,

right? oh, don't look on that side.

but instead, i focused on

the soup: full of mushrooms

would be an understatement.

but thick, rich and exactly

what i crave to cut a chill,

make me forget

that rain is pounding

hard on my window,

and remember

that my husband is back home

would be right on point.

creamy mushroom soup with sherry

i think this recipe took me a long time because let's face it: i was making it up as i went along. by far, the longest part of the process is cleaning and slicing the mushrooms. after that, it's a straight shoot. i meant it when i said that the soup doesn't need the milk, but i'll add one caveat to that. this soup is absolutely for mushroom lovers and if you're feeding this to someone who is eh about them, this might be a bit intense. in that case, mellow it with some milk (or half-and-half) (or cream). still know, it's a rich soup.

and for the garnish - i splurged and bought two chanterelles (which i halved) for roasting and adding to the top. i also reserved two large shiitakes (which i stemmed and quartered) and three or four creminis (which i thickly sliced). i tossed them all on the pan, along with some olive oil and kosher salt. after about 18 minutes at 400˚f, tossing twice, they were golden and crisp. just be sure to keep an eye on them - going from golden to burnt in a flash is one of their favorite party tricks.

1 cup dried mixed wild mushrooms

2 large shallots, peeled and diced

4 large cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

24 ounces cremini mushrooms, wiped cleaned, ends trimmed and thinly sliced

10 ounces white button mushrooms, wiped cleaned, ends trimmed and thinly sliced

6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, wiped clean, stemmed and thinly sliced

1 cup pale sherry, divided

7-8 cups chicken stock

place dried mushrooms in medium heatproof bowl. in small saucepot, bring 2 cups water to a boil; pour over mushrooms. let sit 30 minutes. using slotted spoon, remove mushrooms from broth. chop. place coffee strainer carefully into measuring cup. carefully (so that the filter doesn't move) pour soaking liquid into cup. the dirt and grit from the mushrooms will stay in the strainer. reserve chopped rehydrated mushrooms and strained liquid.

[i found this tip in my travels when reading about balthazar's method for making mushroom soup. it was great.]

meanwhile, in the largest skillet you have over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. add shallots and cook 10 minutes, or until softened. add garlic and cook 2 minutes, more, stirring constantly, or until golden brown.

add 1 tablepoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter; increase heat to medium-high. let melt and heat up. add half the mushrooms to the pan; stir to coat and season with kosher salt and pepper. increase heat to high. cook mushrooms 6-8 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring often. (they will seem like they've absorbed all their moisture, then they'll release water and then they'll start to brown.) transfer cooked mushrooms to a plate. repeat with remaining olive oil, remaining butter and remaining mushrooms.

add the first batch of mushrooms back to the skillet along with the dried mushrooms. remove the skillet from the heat and add 3/4 cup sherry. carefully place the skillet back over the flame. let cook 1 minute, or until the sherry is reduced to a glaze, stirring to release everything stuck to the bottom of the skillet.

transfer mushroom mixture to large saucepot. add 6 cups chicken broth and mushroom soaking liquid. over high heat, bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and let simmer 25 minutes, or until mushrooms are very soft. using immersion blender, blend soup until smooth. (or use a blender and puree, very carefully by pressing on lid with a dishtowel, in batches.) add 1 cup chicken stock (or more) to thin out the soup to your desired consistency. stir in remaining sherry. reheat on low heat, if necessary.

finally - spaghetti and turkey meatballs

when i say to you

that i have been trying to

write this post for over two weeks,

i mean it. i've started it.

several times. only to be

cut off by small things - like

having to go to work,

go to bed, actually make dinner

for the night ahead, deal with

unexpected work crises and um,

one day, somehow cutting

off our internet connection.

so, i know it's been a while.

so long that i almost scrapped

the whole post

in a sign of moving on,

but, i couldn't do it.

we liked the meatballs too much.

--

usually when larry

goes away for work,

i try to get my act together

in time for his homecoming.

not this time.

he had been away for a

week and he was actually

coming home late on

a thursday evening - not

the middle of the night like

usual. i wanted to top

the sweet potato andouille pie

or the pulled chicken sandwiches.

instead, i found out that he

was coming home earlier

than expected, i had a very, very

long and busy day at work that ended with

10 children, pizza dough, flour, sauce

and eventually, baked pizzas for them

to eat. and, i lost my cell phone.

my only phone - especially if larry

and his cell are not in the house.

i got home from work just after

his plane landed, figured out how

to text him through gchat and

ran out to order and wait for

dinner. life without a phone

is tough. i was back home fast -

but he was already there.

and so, he welcomed me and

a bag of (good, but not homemade)

mexican food at the door.

not exactly the way i pictured it.

the next night,

i wanted to make it up to larry

(although, honestly, i think

his spicy pork tacos were fine

with him. i was the one

with the problem). i gave him

a few choices - he chose

spaghetti and turkey meatballs.

on the way to the store

i asked him to cook with me.

he agreed. he also tried to sneak

ground pork into the basket.

he did not succeed.

that night,

while i set to work

chopping and sauteing

onions and garlic,

larry squished peeled

san marzano tomatoes

from the biggest can

i had ever bought.

we added the tomatoes

to the aromatics, dropping in

a few bay leaves and while

i spent time regretting that

i didn't add wine to the pot,

the whole thing started

simmering.

i had made this recipe

once before, a few years back.

my memories of the experience

consisted of these four things:

i made them for larry after a very

long spell of all things vegetarian,

i was very hot in the kitchen that day,

it took a very long time

and the end result was worth it.

that's why i had asked for

larry's help.

this time around,

even though the company

was nice - very nice - the whole

process was much smoother and

i probably could have handled it

by myself. larry cracked eggs

into a bowl while i mixed together

milk and breadcrumbs. i incorporated them

all together with some grated romano cheese

while he stirred the sauce.

once the ground turkey was added

and the whole thing was rolled

into balls, i looked around the kitchen

and realized that everything was very calm.

i brought a pot of water to a boil

and pulled out my best kitchen friend,

the immersion blender. i've never really

smoothed out a sauce like this before -

i usually like them chunky and full,

but it was an experiment. i hadn't

followed the sauce recipe that accompanied

the meatballs, but it did call for pureeing

and i thought, maybe that's one step

i should follow. i blended everything

for a minute. just long enough to

make the mixture thick and cohesive,

but still maintain pieces of tomatoes and onions.

it was a lovely success - something i'm sure

every italian grandmother and grandchild

could have told me years ago.

when it was time to put it all together,

i was glad to have larry there to monitor

the pasta, so that i could tend to the

meatballs, which of course, by the time

i was done with them, looked nothing

like balls, more like unruly pentagons.

no matter. once they're sauced,

no one cares. or at least, no one

in this house cares.

it was a meal not so shocking,

nothing so groundbreaking

in turkey meatballs and sauce,

but for me,

topped with freshly grated cheese

and big glasses of red wine,

it was the welcome back meal

i was hoping for.

just a day late.

spaghetti and turkey meatballs

adapted from giada de laurentiis

the original recipe calls for dark ground turkey, but i used 93% lean, and was very happy with the results. we also had 1/4 pound more turkey, so i upped everything else, in addition to adding chopped garlic and oregano. these turkey meatballs are a great basic recipe - good to store somewhere in your head and adapt as inspiration strikes. i really wantd to bake them, but this meal was larry's and he offered up objections. next time, i'm trying them in the oven. oh, and if you're making your own sauce (so worth it), start the sauce and while it's cooking, make the meatballs. or, if you're really on top of things, make the sauce the day before.

5 tablespoons dried bread crumbs

2 1/2 tablespoons whole milk (we used 1% - it was fine)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons grated romano cheese

4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

2 teaspoons dried oregano

salt and pepper

1 1/4 pound ground turkey

3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

5-7 cups marinara sauce

1 pound spaghetti

in bowl, stir together bread crumbs and whole milk. stir in eggs, cheese, garlic and oregano. season mixture with salt and pepper. using your hands, gently mix in turkey, just until combined, being sure not to overmix. shape mixture into golf size balls.

bring large saucepot water to a boil; cook and drain spaghetti according to package directions. (ideally, the pasta will be ready just around when the sauced meatballs are done.)

meanwhile, in large skillet over medium high heat, add oil until shimmering, but not smoking. add meatballs. cook 2 minutes, or until golden brown and easy to lift from the skillet. turn meatballs and cook 2 minutes more. continue turning and browning until meatballs are browned on all sides.

add 5 cups sauce to meatballs; bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. using a slotted spoon, transfer meatballs to a bowl; tent to keep warm. over low heat, add cooked spaghetti to skillet and mix with sauce, adding extra sauce if desired. transfer spaghetti to a large serving bowl or individual bowls; top with meatballs and additional sauce, if desired. serve with grated romano cheese.

the marinara sauce

this sauce made a lot - more than needed for the meatballs. i emptied the leftovers into a resealable bag, flattened it out and froze the bag for a future dinner. if the past few weeks are any indication of the weeks ahead, i'm sure i'll be glad to have it stashed. there was not a ton of measuring involved with this, so here's a close approximation of how the sauce came to be:

olive oil

dried oregano

red pepper flakes

2 large white onions, peeled and chopped

5 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

1 can (106 ounces) whole peeled san marzano tomatoes

2 bay leaves

granulated sugar

grated romano cheese

in large saucepot over high heat, heat a small splash of olive oil 30 seconds, or until hot and shimmering. add oregano and dried pepper flakes and stir 30 seconds. add chopped onions and cook 10-15 minutes, or until tender. add garlic. saute 1 minute more, or until tender.

meanwhile, remove tomatoes from can into large mixing bowl, squishing and breaking down as you go. when onions and garlic are ready, add everything from the bowl, plus a decent pour of the tomato puree that the tomatoes came in, to the saucepot. add bay leaves.

bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes, or until slightly thickened. remove and discard bay leaves. using immersion blender (or a regular blender in careful batches), puree sauce just until combined, but chunks still remain.

simmer 15 to 20 minutes more. if too acidic, sprinkle in a couple pinches of sugar. add a small palmful of grated parm; stir to combine.