Homemade Golden Mushroom Soup

So much better than the canned stuff from Campbell’s, this homemade golden mushroom soup is made with loads of mushrooms, beef stock, milk and a touch of tomato.

When I was growing up, my mom never failed to have a few cans of Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup in the cupboard because it was so useful in a lot of recipes back then. The hey-day of casseroles. But we also just loved opening a can, diluting it with milk and sipping it nice and hot out of a big mug. 

It wasn’t until I was much, much older and doing my own shopping that I discovered their golden mushroom soup which, in my opinion is much richer in flavor since it’s made with beef stock. Whether I’d have liked it as a child, who can tell? 

The sherry I add in at the end is optional but I discovered what a huge improvement in flavor it gave when I first made Anthony Bourdain’s mushroom soup. It’s only 1 tablespoon in the whole pan but the sherry lifts the soup into gourmet territory. It’s that good. Try adding it and see if you agree! 

Homemade Golden Mushroom Soup

This soup is easily made gluten and dairy free by using a gluten free flour mix, non-dairy butter and almond milk. A good friend of mine uses those to make regular cream of mushroom soup for her grandbabies and they love it!

Ingredients

1.5 lb or 680g baby bella or swiss brown mushrooms

1/4 cup or 57g butter or dairy free butter

2 cloves garlic 

1 medium onion (approx. weight 5 3/4 oz or 163g)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

3/4 cup or 96g all-purpose flour or gluten free flour mix

4 cups or 960ml beef stock

2 cups or 480ml milk (I use 2%/semi-skimmed) or almond milk

Fine sea salt

1 tablespoon sherry, optional

Optional for garnish:

Reserved small mushrooms, from amount for soup (see note in Method below)

Drizzle olive oil

Chopped parsley

Method

Puree the garlic and onion in a small food processor. Set aside. 

This step is optional: Set aside and slice a few small mushrooms to pan fry and use as garnish.

Trim any hard stem ends off of the mushrooms and discard. Chop the rest of the mushrooms into small pieces. 

In large saucepan, sauté the chopped mushrooms in the butter over a medium high heat until they have released their liquid, it has evaporated and the mushrooms have turned a lovely golden brown. 

Add in the pureed onion/garlic and the tomato paste. Cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the onion is cooked. A good indication is when the onion aroma has turned mellow instead of sharp.

Remove the pan from the heat and sift the flour over mushrooms to coat, stirring well between each addition until all of the flour has been added. 

Stir in the beef stock a little at a time mixing well until all the flour dissolves. Add the pepper. 

Return the pan to the stove and bring the soup to a boil, stirring often until it  thickens, about 7 minutes.

Reduce the heat and whisk in the milk. Cook over a low heat for about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat as soon as soup reaches your desired thickness. 

Taste for salt and add a little, if needed. Depending on the saltiness of the beef stock you used, you might not need any.

If you set aside a few small mushrooms and sliced them for garnish, fry them till almost crispy in a nonstick skillet with a drizzle of olive oil. 

Stir the sherry into the soup. 

Garnish each bowl with some chopped parsley and a few of the fried mushroom slices.

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today I’m hosting. I chose soup recipes for our theme because, and y’all probably know this, January is National Soup Month! If you have not been celebrating, fear not. It is followed quickly on by National Soup Day on  February 4th.  Check out the lovely soups my blogger friends are sharing: 

• Bacon Cheeseburger Soup from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Cabbage Roll Soup from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Chicken and Dumplings Soup from Palatable Pastime
• Chicken Enchilada Soup from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Homemade Golden Mushroom Soup from Food Lust People Love
• Keto Broccoli & Tomato Soup from Sneha's Recipe

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Lemony Spring Vegetable Chicken Soup

This Lemony Spring Vegetable Chicken Soup is a light, flavorful bowl of comfort food, with tender chicken, asparagus, new potatoes, carrots and peas.

This recipe is adapted from one in delicious. magazine from 2023. The original recipe was supposed to be accompanied by a gremolata made from the hard stems one trims from the asparagus because they aren’t typically edible. 

This is a fabulous idea except that right when I get home from the store with asparagus, I cut off those ends and discard them. Then I put my asparagus in a jar or glass with water in the fridge door, much like cut flowers. A trim assures that the asparagus can suck up some water, which keeps them lovely and fresh for much longer than normal. If only I had seen this recipe first! 

Cut the ends at angle for better uptake of water. 

So, two days later, when I did trim more to make the gremolata, I had to use tender ends instead. (I also substituted green onions for parsley).  No idea how the woody ends would have tasted but my gremolata was lovely. I’m leaving the original instruction in case you have woody ends you’d like to use. Let me know how it turns out! 

Lemony Spring Vegetable Chicken Soup

Use the vegetable amounts as a suggestion. If you have a few more potatoes and asparagus or a few less carrots and green peas, it doesn’t matter. Go with what you’ve got. This is a protein rich soup with one chicken breast per serving. 

Ingredients to serve 4

For the soup:

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 small skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 lb 9 oz or 600g total)

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to finish dish

11 1/2 oz or 325g new potatoes, preferably Jersey Royals, scrubbed and sliced into thick coins

10 1/2 oz or 300g spring carrots, scrubbed and sliced into thick coins

1/2 cup of 120ml dry white wine

4 cups or 946ml chicken stock

10 1/2 oz or 300g asparagus, before trimming

7 oz or 200g petit pois or small sweet peas, defrosted if frozen

Juice 1/2 lemon

For the asparagus gremolata:

Trimmed ends asparagus in soup ingredient list

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 spring onions, green part only, sliced finely, plus extra for garnish, if desired

2 small cloves garlic

Zest 1 1/2 lemons

Juice 1 lemon

To serve:

Asparagus gremolata

4 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt or sour cream (one for each bowl)

Lemon zest

Finely sliced green onions, if desired

Method

First thing, we’ll start the gremolata. Snap or trim the woody ends from the asparagus. Cut the spears in halves and set aside, then finely slice the woody ends into discs. Put the discs in a small sieve over a bowl and sprinkle with salt to soften them a little. 

Put the green onions in another small bowl, then use a microplane or fine grater to grate the garlic and the zest of 1 1/2 lemons into it. The zest of the other half of the lemon can be used as garnish on the finished dish so definitely zest them both and set one quarter aside for serving. 

Season the chicken with the sea salt and black pepper.

Heat half the oil in a shallow sauté pan or casserole with a lid then add the seasoned chicken breast to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until all the breasts are a lovely golden brown.  

They will still be raw inside but don’t let that worry you. We will finish cooking them in the soup later. Transfer the breasts to a plate and set aside. 

Add the remaining oil to the pan, followed by the sliced potatoes and carrots. 

Fry for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, then add the wine. 

Cover for a few minutes to allow the carrots and potatoes to just about cook through, then take of the lid and leave the wine to bubble until it is reduced by half (about 4 minutes.)

Pour in the chicken stock and bring up to a simmer. Nestle the chicken in the pan (it should be fully submerged in stock), then cover and simmer gently for 6 minutes.

While the chicken simmers, finish the gremolata by mixing the salty sliced asparagus with the green onion/lemon zest mix. Set aside.

When your six minutes of simmering are up, stir the peas and asparagus into the soup. 

Cover and gently simmer for 2-4 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. 

Add the lemon juice and a good few grinds of black pepper.

Divide the soup into four bowls, one breast each, and top with lemon zest and some green onions, if desired. 

Serve the gremolata and yogurt or sour cream on the side so everyone can add a dollop of each to their bowls. 

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are serving up comfort foods! Many thanks to our host, Sue of Palatable Pastime. Check out all the links below. 

• Sneha's Recipe: Baked Vegetables Pasta Less Lasagna
• Karen's Kitchen Stories:BBQ Glazed Meatloaf with Sweet Potatoes and Pearl Onions
• Amy's Cooking Adventures: Broccoli Cheese Pierogi Soup
• Culinary Cam:Comforting Beef Stroganoff
• Food Lust People Love:Lemony Spring Vegetable Chicken Soup
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Roast Pork Loin with Cherry Sauce

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Olive Cream Cheese Stuffed Celery

This olive cream cheese stuffed celery is a throwback recipe from the Sixties but it’s still just as deliciously tasty today. Savory, creamy AND crunchy. Mix, fill and munch! 

Not too long back, a friend of mine celebrated her 60th birthday by throwing a Sixties theme party. Guests were asked to contribute a dish from that decade and come dressed in Sixties attire. 

The fun food included salmon mousse made in a fish mold, deviled eggs, several Jello desserts, a spiky cheeseball shaped like a hedgehog, a multi-layered savory sandwich “cake” and pistachio marshmallow fluff, just to name a few. 

It was a super fun party and a delight to see what everyone brought and wore. At first I thought I didn’t have anything to wear that was Sixties worthy but then I remembered, I own a caftan! We need to bring those back. It is the most comfortable outfit ever for a party.

Olive Cream Cheese Stuffed Celery

This recipe makes a bunch of filling! My pictures show just half of the stuffed celery I made. Feel free to halve the quantities if you don’t need that many. I used the already cut celery stalks one can buy in a bag. 

Ingredients

2 lbs or 900g celery stalks, washed and cut into 3 sections each

2 packages (8 oz or 225g each) cream cheese, at room temperature

¾ cup, chopped, or 120g pimento-stuffed green olives

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

A few generous grinds of black pepper

Method

Thoroughly dry each piece of celery with paper towels. 

Mix the  chopped olives and garlic together in a large bowl.

Add in the cream cheese and black pepper in and mix until completely homogenous.

Use a plastic bag with a corner cut off or a piping bag to put a generous amount of cream cheese filling down the center indentation of each celery piece. 

Serve immediately or cover with cling film and refrigerate till ready to serve.

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today my blogger friends and I are sharing nutritious nibbles. Many thanks to our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on a Farm. Check out the links below. 

• Culinary Cam: Adventures in Bliss Balls 
• Sneha's Recipe: Beetroot Tikkis 
• Karen's Kitchen Stories : Fresh Tomato Salsa 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Fruit and Nut Bars 
• Our Good Life : Healthy Pizza Bites 
• Food Lust People Love: Olive Cream Cheese Stuffed Celery 
• Amy's Cooking Adventures: Peanut Butter Energy Balls (No Bake)

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

Pin this olive cream cheese stuffed celery! 

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Scotch Quail Eggs

Soft-boiled on the inside and crunchy on the outside, these tasty Scotch Quail Eggs are wrapped with sausage meat and covered in panko before frying. 

The culinary origin of Scotch eggs is much debated but what all the sources I can find do agree on is that they aren’t actually Scotch, that is to say, they don’t come from Scotland. 

More than likely, they are English with both a grocer called William J Scott & Sons in Yorkshire as well as the London gourmet food purveyor Fortnum and Mason claiming to have created them. Fortnum and Mason from as far back at 1738, predating the Yorkshire claim by close to 150 years. 

Whoever made the first ones, they are still on the menu in many pubs all over the United Kingdom. Normally made with hen’s eggs, they are a substantial snack. My quail egg version is much less filling, so they make an excellent addition to an appetizer spread or party table. 

Scotch Quail Eggs

Here in the States, your typical British sausage is hard to come by. Fortunately, we do have a company that makes them in Houston but you can substitute another raw pork sausage meat (not breakfast sausage though) with the caveat that American sausages are generally more coarse and saltier than their British counterparts. I buy my fresh quail eggs at local Asian supermarkets. 

Ingredients

20 quail eggs

1 lb or 450g Cumberland sausages 

2-3 sprigs fresh thyme plus more for garnish, if desired

1 large egg

1 tablespoon milk

1 cup or 70g panko

For frying: canola or other light oil

Method

Bring a small pot of water to a simmer. Ready a bowl of ice water nearby. 

For soft boiled, which is always my goal, put four quail eggs in the simmering water at a time. 

Leave to cook 2 1/2 minutes, stirring often so that they cook evenly. Remove the eggs with slotted spoon and put them in the ice water. 

Peel the ones in the ice water immediately, starting at the pointy end. Add four more quail’s eggs to the pot, remembering to stir so they cook evenly. Repeat till all the quails’ eggs are cooked and peeled.

 

I forgot to stir one batch and they were not cooked evenly so peeling them was a challenge. Hence those are sitting in spoons for support. They still made lovely Scotch eggs. 

Squeeze the sausage meat into a bowl, discarding the skins, then pick the thyme leaves off the sprigs and add them to the bowl. Stir well to mix. 

Beat the egg in a shallow bowl with the milk. Place the panko into another bowl.

Weigh the sausage mixture and then divide it into 20 equal pieces. 

Shape the sausage around the quail eggs.

Carefully pinch the sausage around the egg and roll into a ball. 

At this point, you can continue with the preparation or chill in the fridge until you are ready to cook them. 

Roll each ball in the beaten egg.

Then in the panko until fully coated.

Using a thermometer, heat about 2 in or 5cm of oil in a deep pan to 350°F or 180ºC and very carefully fry the Scotch eggs in batches of three, for 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden brown, turning halfway through so the sausage layer is fully cooked. 

Remove with caution and drain on paper towels. Put some newspaper or a brown paper bag underneath for more absorption. I lower the Scotch eggs in and remove them with a slotted spoon, so the oil can’t splash and burn me. I recommend you do the same. 

Serve warm.

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay so today we are sharing nibbles for New Year's Eve! Many thanks to our host, Camilla of Culinary Cam. Check out the link list below. 

• Seared Scallops in Lobster Creme from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Boiled Egg Sandwiches from Sneha's Recipe
• Cranberry Brie Bites from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Fried Cheesy Pickles from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• From Cheesy to Chocolatey - Using My Caquelon All Evening Long from Culinary Cam
• Mushroom Duxelle on Toast from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Scotch Quail Eggs from Food Lust People Love

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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