Shroomy

Tonight for dinner, I made something that Jason would not touch with a 10-foot pole: Heidi Swanson's Porcini Mushroom Soup. If you haven't visited 101 cookbooks yet, go there immediately. Actually, finish reading this post, and then go there. Heidi uses good-for-you ingredients in some amazing dishes. I truly admire her wholesome, simple-yet-exciting outlook on food, as well as her equally inspiring photos.

This soup is a great example of how just a few totally pure ingredients make a delicious, perfect dish. I didn't use quite as much oil as she calls for, but I wasn't shy with it, either. I replaced the fresh rosemary with a big pinch of herbes de Provence, and I halved everything because my package of mushrooms was only 1 ounce, and since this is only for me, I figured half the soup would be enough...now that I've tasted it, I wish I'd made the full batch—I could eat this for days! *One big note that is not in Heidi's recipe: make SURE you strain the mushroom soaking liquid through a paper towel or coffee filter. There was a lot a grit I got rid of, and it would be tragic to ruin this soup with grit. Even after straining, there was a small amount of grit, but I think that must just come with the dried wild mushroom territory.*

Earthy porcini mushrooms are excellently paired with red-skinned potato. Heidi is right about the salt—it's important to add enough that the flavors really shine; since there are so few ingredients, the salt helps everything taste its best. With a hunk of baguette with garlicky olive oil and a glass of crisp white wine {I've been enjoying Three Thieves Bandit pinot grigio—don't let the box fool you...it's fantastic.} it was a perfect, light supper. And I'm not going to lie...as I was putting away the leftovers, I stood over the pot with some toasted baguette and sopped up more of the broth and ate it right there in the middle of the kitchen. Ah, the joys of eating alone...

P.S. My soup looked just like Heidi's pictures. But my pictures...not so much. Hers do this soup much better justice!

Sorry!

Hi everyone. Just a note (in case you care) that I am fully cognizant of the fact that I have not posted anything in way too long. Work has been unbelievably busy...and while that's a good thing, given that I work in media and I still have work to do, it also means that when I get home at night, I have not been very creative in the kitchen. I've largely been relying on epicurious.com and foodnetwork.com recipes. Then instead of writing about them, I've been choosing to spend quality time with Jason and Chaplin. This is good for my mental health but bad for my blog.

So. I should be a little less crazed by the end of this week, and I have some things in mind. A few new and a few old standbys. Oh, and Jason is leaving for a few days, which means I get to make all the things he won't eat (see September 9, 2008). I'm thinking a nice, fatty ribeye is in order...and maybe an extra-pungent puttanesca. I'll keep you posted. No pun intended.

I'll be back! I swear. Until then, I will leave you with this, a great read for any food lover, or...anyone who eats, really: An Open Letter to the Next Farmer in Chief