Hungarian Mushroom

Yikes, I'm a couple of weeks behind in posting.

Last week's (2 March) soup was Hungarian Mushroom. One of my older brothers, Michael, sent me the recipe link from AllRecipes.com. Michael loves to cook as does my other older brother Richard. Of the four boys my parents had, three of us love to cook and I figure we got that from our parents, somehow.

I love mushroom soups so I was sure to try this Hungarian version. It was an

easy one to make and was a huge hit at work and at home! I got lots of "Best Ever" compliments with this one. What a great feeling!! I was talking with an acquaintance about why I get so much out of making these soups and before I knew it I had responded "Because the compliments and wonderful reactions at work make me feel so good". I had never said it out loud before but that's really what it comes down to. No question I enjoy finding recipes and imagining the process and how they'll taste. I also enjoy shopping for the ingredients and the actual preparation of the soups, measuring, cutting, stirring, seasoning, tasting, it's all good stuff and I get lost in it. But having people really enjoy the soups and how they look forward to "Soup At Work Wednesday" is the payoff.

For my version of the recipe below I made some adjustments to the recipe you'll find on AllRecipes.com. As usual I doubled the recipe to get a 7 quart result for "Soup At Work Wednesday". The recipe below yields about 6 servings or about 3-3.5 quarts. The original recipe doesn't specify a type of mushroom so I used a mix of portabella, button and shitake. I also added extra mushrooms, 'cuz I love 'em. Instead of milk I used half & half. Instead of parsley I always use cilantro. I love the sharp tanginess of cilantro much better than parsley. That's it for my tweaks. Onto the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tablespoons of butter
• 2 cups of chopped onions (red, yellow or white)
• 1 pound fresh mushrooms, any type, sliced
• 2 teaspoons of dried dill weed
• 1 tablespoon of paprika
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 2 cups of chicken broth
• 1 cup of half & half
• 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• Ground black pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons of lemon juice
• 1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup of sour cream

METHOD

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onions in the butter for 5 minutes or until slightly transparent
2. Add the mushrooms and saute for 5 more minutes.
3. Stir in the dill, paprika, soy sauce and broth.
4. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes
5. In a separate bowl, whisk the half & half and flour together.
6. Pour this into the soup and stir well to blend.
7. Cover and simmer for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Add the salt, pepper, lemon juice, cilantro and sour cream.
9. Mix together and allow to heat through over low heat for 3-5 minutes. DO NOT BOIL!
10. Serve.