Cream of Mushroom and Spinach Soup

Cream of Mushroom and Spinach Soup

Mushrooms are one of my absolute favorites.  This soup is flavorful and good anytime of the year.  Feel free to use whatever variety of mushrooms you have on hand, and to substitute Kale, collards, arugula, mustard greens, or any other green leafy vegetable you prefer.

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Clam, Corn and Shrimp Chowder

I absolutely adore a good chowder. Here’s another from the files.

Ingredients

1 – 2 dozen fresh quahog or cherrystone clams (can substitute a can of chopped clams if you don’t have enough fresh clams).
1 bottle chardonnay wine
5 or 6 medium red-skin potatoes, quartered.
2 ears corn on the cob
½ pound of medium shrimp, cooked, shells removed, and cut into bite sized pieces.
1 small can mushroom pieces and stems OR 1 8 oz package of mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium yellow onion
pepper to taste (I go heavy on the pepper).
¾ soup bowl of milk
3 – 4 tablespoons of flour

Instructions

First, make clam broth. Once you have made the clam broth, then make the chowder.

Clam broth:

Pour wine into bottom of steamer pot.
In steamer basket, place clams, potatoes, corn.
Steam until clams open and potatoes and corn are done. Pour yourself a nice cup of clam broth to drink, leave the rest in the steamer pot for the chowder.
Cut corn off of cob. Remove clams from shells, cut clams in half.
Put shells in the garden to look pretty.

Chowder.
Add corn, potatoes, clams, and shrimp to broth. Simmer on low.
Chop the onion into small pieces, sauté in butter and add onion and butter to chowder. If using fresh mushrooms, sauté them with the onion.
Add flour to milk, pour into chowder. Nuke with pepper.
Simmer until its soup, adding more flour to thicken if needed.

December 10, 2005

Garlic Scape Soup

Ingredients
7 to 10 scapes, depending on size
3 to 5 small redskin potatoes, cut into bite sized chunks, with skins
2 Tbs olive oil
3 cups of chicken broth
Optional: shredded mozarella or parmesan cheese, day old bread or croutons. (I also use cubed stuffing mix).

Instructions
Cut the scapes into thin rounds. Sauté in olive oil at low heat. Place the potatoes and sautéed garlic in a sauce pan and add chicken broth. Cook covered for about 30 minutes. In food processor puree the soup until it is smooth. Return soup to the saucepan, add more broth until it is at preferred consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste, reheat.

Optional: top with bread or croutons and shredded cheese.

Adapted from recipe at Dakota Garlic, www.dakotagarlic.com (site now defunct)