Chop a small onion and then fry it preferably in butter ( with one or two garlic cloves, add the garlic later if you want a more pungent taste. Then take some mushrooms and chop them roughly, you will want over a pound of them for two people. Cook them to drive out their water and then let them fry a little. Add water and stock, about a pint, bring to boil then simmer for 10 minutes or so. Remove about half the soup and liquidize, then return to the pan. Add some nutmeg, a splash of lemon juice and a bit of cream. This freezes well and makes a great soup for lunch. Thanks to Lindsay Bareham for the basis of this recipe.
recipe: February 2003 Archives
Earlier in January I wrote a recipe for omlette. I make a good weekend brunch omlette so I'm told. This is the previous omlette recipe, worth a quick look. A different twist on this recipe is to use roast peppers instead of the bacon and mushroom. If you do this it might be a little too sweet, as the peppers release sugars too. You can also add various spices to the onions, coriander is good, as is smoked paprika.
I used to think that the mark of a good cook was the ability to make sauce, as sauces (other than the ones in packets) seemed hard and complex. Now I guess I still think the same, but it is a wider definition, less fussy french and extended to daubes and curries.
Meat and two veg is simple enough, but sauce ties a meal together. Consider mushrooms on toast, which is a nice and tasty dish, but sweat a few onions first and add a little cream and it is a much richer feast.
