Having been too busy to cook the past two weeks means I did have a "backlog" of recipes that I wanted to try and since I was always doing dessert, I lined up a few savory dishes for the next few posts.
One of my favorite foods is mushrooms, the other being beans (especially french beans) so I was really excited to try another version of mushroom soup. I don't know what it was, maybe the "zuppa" in the name of this dish made me want to try it. Isn't it very chic?
This recipe is from DAVID ROCCO from the food network. I should say this was originally named ZUPPA DI P0RCINI.. but since I don't have access to porcini mushrooms, I opted to choose what was available in the supermarket, which was shitake mushrooms. (I had actually a choice of button mushrooms and a portabello one but the portabello was sooo expensive-- I think 280 pesos ($6) for 2 huge pieces and since this was my first time doing this, I opted to choose the cheaper mushroom (hahaha)
tip: if you really want to buy mushrooms, there is stall in FARMER'S MARKET in Cubao where they sell quite a lot of mushrooms. (portabello, button, shitake, oyster, golden needle) I saw a couple of restaurant owners buying there. They also have a lot of herbs and beans that are hard to find.
You'll need:
1 cup chopped mushrooms-- caps only (shitake in this case)
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter
sprig of nepitella (*I don't have this herb so I substituted mint and oregano instead)
5 cups stock
1 cup freshly grated parmigiano cheese
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
In pot, heat olive oil and butter, throw in the herbs. Add the mushrooms and let cook for a minute so the mushrooms can absorb the flavors
Add a ladle of stock and allow the mushrooms to cook another minute or until the broth has been absorbed. season with salt and pepper and then pour in remaining broth. lower the heat bring the soup to a simmer for about 10 minutes
Before plating, add the parmigiano cheese and eggs.
The adding of the egg kind of reminds me of those "add one egg" chinese instant soup commercials we had on TV when I was small. The tune was really catchy too... "there are chinese soups... and there are chinese soups, but there is nothing like.. knorr real chinese soup..." hahaha... and the guy was putting on this really thick chinese accent....
ANYHOW...about the adding of the egg... I found you have to be really fast in stirring because if you don't, you'll get a lot of egg clumps and not a streamy egg (I was kind of slow so I had a bunch of clumps). I also opted to put the cheese on the bowls and pouring the soup instead of stirring it in.
You can serve this with toasted slices of french bread for added flair. Overall, the taste was lighter than if you made the soup with cream ( like a cream of mushroom). You can really taste the mushrooms and the flavor of the soup. I was thinking that if you use other kinds of mushrooms, you might get a different taste all together. I have to try it out and tell you next time.
So, why don't you make your own Zuppa today?
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