Cream of Mushroom Soup

This topic of casseroles gave me a small bout of writer's block, which I recognize seems ridiculous because it's a casserole... for the love. I was out to write this long, profoundly articulate diatribe about the history of casseroles, how Campbell's waylayed American cuisine, how housewives in the 1950's were the target of a convenience food conspiracy, and how Mennonites were not immune. They too bathed in the savory condensed waters of that scheme. 

But then I remembered that this is a blog. Not a book. I'll save the conspiracy theory diatribes for the book. 

What did come quickly was the thought of Ryan Gosling. 

When I find myself contemplating the origin of casserole I'm often reminded of that scene from Lars and the Real Girl. Who isn't.  The one where Gosling, all dapper with his mustache and cardigan, is in great despair and needs some comfort. Thus a stunning scene quietly unfurls as he is fed heaps of what else... casserole... by the church women in his community. He clearly feels the love.

That really says it all: Casserole is the warm and comforting tie that binds. It is what we bring to those in despair - the sick, the grieving, the new parents. Something in that warm, muck of goodness utters to us: 

"Be healed. 

Be comforted. 

Know that you are loved."

And if casseroles are the tie that binds us together, cream of mushroom soup is the tie that binds the casserole. Seriously. The soup's function is a pure one - you need something to get all that meat and and rice to stick together. Which is why I'm focusing solely on the soup today. 

The casserole is tomorrow. Writer's block notwithstanding.  

There are many options out there for alternatives... The More-with-Less cookbook provides a solid substitute for the canned stuff. They call it a "Basic White Sauce", which it is. It is also what the French call a Béchamel, one of their Mother Sauces. 

If you go a step beyond the basic though you have a much more interesting and flavorful sauce/soup. And subsequently, casserole. Need I say more? 

Bonus of going beyond the basics: 

- People will really feel loved. 

- You'll have the construct for a a soup that is outstanding all on its own. 
- You can replace "mushrooms" with any veggie and have a Cream of _____ Soup! 

- You'll know how to make a Béchamel, which is fantastic skill to have if you spend anytime in the kitchen. 

So here's the construct...

Chicken Stock + Mushrooms + Béchamel  

Why I chose to put it in a green butter dish... I don't know. 

And here's the recipe...  

Chicken Stock

Or any kind of stock for that matter. Water works too. 

Ingredients: 

1 to 1 ½ cups chicken stock 

1. Heat up the stock. (Yep, that's really it.)  

Mushrooms

The amount of mushrooms you use depends on how strong you want that flavor in your soup. I like it in the forefront. 

This method is a dry sauté. Its purpose is to concentrate the mushroom flavor and because we're going to puree them, the texture doesn't really matter. 

Ingredients: 

2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced

salt

1. Heat a large sauté pan and add the sliced mushrooms. Add generous pinch of salt. 

2. Cook on med-low heat, uncovered, till the mushrooms give up their water. Continue to cook, turning down the heat if they start to brown, till the water has evaporated and the flavor of the mushroom is pronounced. 

3. Remove from heat and set aside. 

Béchamel

Adapted from Madeleine Kamman's The Making of a Cook. I took out the carrot and celery she called for because, well, I didn't want carrot and celery that evening.  

Yield: About 2 cups

Ingredients: 

¼ cup unsalted butter
½ small yellow onion, diced

5 Tablepsoons + 1 teaspoon unbleached all-purpose flour

2 ¼ cups milk, heated

4 sprigs of thyme

Salt

Pinch of grated nutmeg

1. Heat butter in large sauté pan until the foam subsides. 

2. Add the onion and cook on low until the onion is translucent. About 5 to 10 minutes. 

3. Stir in the flour. Let this cook for another 5 minutes to allow the raw taste of the flour to subside. Be careful not to brown it though because, yes, flour will burn. 

4. Off the heat, whisk in the milk gradually to prevent lumping. Return to heat, and add the nutmeg, thyme, and salt. Let cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until it is thickened and flavorful. Add salt if need be. Remove from heat and take out the sprigs of thyme.  

To finish the soup: 

1. Place the mushrooms and béchamel in a blender. 

2. Turn the blender on, slowly at first to prevent a splatter. (I've learned this the hard way). Gradually add a bit of chicken stock. Test the consistency and keep adding until it is the consistency you want. If you're adding it to a casserole, stop at about ½ to ¾ cup of stock. Keep going with more stock if it's for a soup to eat on its own. 

4. Test the flavor and season with salt to taste, remembering that it should taste fully seasoned, even if you're putting in the casserole.   

Voila! You now have made yourself a lovely, delicious, completely lacking of any MSG soup. 

You can pop this in the frig, in your casserole, or in a soup bowl!

The Food Art of Naomi Nissley

Today as I worked on the task of Casserole Perfection, I pulled out my copy of the legendary Mennonite culinary source - The Mennonite Community Cookbook. Turning to the "Cheese, Egg, and Casserole Dish" chapter, I immediately noticed the small, detailed drawing framing the title at the top of the page - a cheese cloth hanging from a tree branch, dripping every so slightly onto the Dishes. 

It was sweet and beautiful and shined of a skilled artist. The cover of the book obviously has some fabulous work, but the interior had never caught me before the Cheese chapter. So I flipped through its entirety and marveled at the drawings.

Autumn: A Season for Casseroles

Whenever autumn is about to set its foot firmly on the calendar, I tend to dig my heels in a bit. Especially in Oregon where the summers are brief, ideal, and filled with raspberries.

But once autumn is all nestled in snug with its hot cocoa in hand, and once I’ve finally accepted that, I really do adore it. Heck I’ll make the hot cocoa if it’ll stick around a little longer.

What may have been the last of the raspberries draped over dessert

Because at this point I’m no longer salty at the cold weather, its chronic presence meaning the raspberries won’t come. Because Autumn is for Apples. Brussel Sprouts. Broccoli. Pumpkin. Spice Bread. Sweet Rolls. I could go on and on, but then I’d have technical errors from my own drool seeping into my keyboard.

Our last night cooking at the Chef's Studio: Apple Brussel Sprout Tart

And with this autumnal shift… No more summer vacations. No more planning trips to Haiti. Class at the Studio is over. There is a new invitation to come indoors and slow down for a little while.  

On that invitation, it’s back to buckling down on the work of the cookbook. That mural of butcher paper taped to my wall entitled “Table of Contents” needs some new life. Which of course means…Casseroles! Obviously.

Mennonite potlucks are chock full of casseroles. Though I've not yet dug deep into the research on this topic, I'm guessing the casserole made its debut in Mennonite cookbooks when they arrived in North America, not the Alsace. But I'll let you know what I find out on that. 

Admittedly, there was indeed a time I refused to let the casserole into the kitchen…  

Self #1: “No casseroles in my book!” (Or some snobby crap like that.)

Prevailing Self #2: “Get over yourself Katie. Casseroles are friggin’ delicious and you know it. Stop pretending you don't crave that chicken cheesy broccoli goodness, and just figure out the condensed soup problem.” 

Because as we all know - any casserole worth its weight in Pyrex has that can of soup within its silky folds. Packed full of its dreamy MSG. (There must be a line somewhere). No offense to Mr. Warhol. 

Hence my next endeavor… figure out the best homemade version of cream of mushroom soup that will do for my Broccoli Chicken Casserole what Phyllis Pellman Good did for the Crockpot.

Ok, that seems far-reaching but a girl’s got to have goals… Wish me luck!