WEDNESDAY

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup  |  Spinach & Goat Cheese Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette & Spicy Almonds

Today was gray & wet…a January day.  It was also a “spare the air day” here in Northern California, which means we are not allowed to have wood-burning fires.  Don’t get me started...

As I sat and worked at my computer, this candle glowed..all day.  It’s soft light shining gold on this gray day releasing a scent of tangerine and cinnamon.  In the background, my empty bulb bowl…on my to-do list for next week.

Tonight’s dinner was perfect for a gray, wet, January day.  A rich soup and a hearty salad.  Begin with the Spicy Almonds.  This recipe can be adapted for almost any nut you love {spouses excluded}.  Tonight, these almonds will make a wonderful mix-in for the spinach salad but they are pretty addictive on their own as a snack {hmmm, good thing to keep in mind with S-Bowl weekend coming up}…

Spicy Almonds {adapted from a recipe by Wendy Silver in My Favorite Chopped Salad Recipes}

• 3 large egg whites
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper
• 4 cups of almonds
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.  Line a large baking sheet with foil and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy & then stir in the sugar, Worcestershire sauce, paprika & cayenne.  Fold in the almonds & melted butter, mixing well.
3. Using a slotted spoon, spread the almonds evenly on prepared baking sheet, discarding any sauce left in the bowl.  Bake at 300°F for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool, completely.  Store the almonds in an airtight container.

Set the almonds aside & start the soup…

Cream of Mushroom Soup {adapted from The Balthazar Cookbook}

• 1 ounce, dried porcini mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 sprigs of fresh thyme {bundled in cheesecloth}
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 large {or 6 small} garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 pound white button mushrooms stemmed, cleaned and thinly sliced
• 1 pound shiitake mushrooms stemmed, cleaned and thinly sliced
• 1 cup dry Vermouth
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1. Soak the dry mushrooms in 1 cup of boiling water for 30 minutes, until plump.  With a slotted spoon, remove mushrooms to a separate bowl.  Place a double-layer of cheesecloth over a small bowl and pour the mushroom soaking liquid into the bowl {allowing the cheesecloth to catch any grit}.  Set the strained soaking liquid, as well as the reconstituted mushrooms aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  When the oil is shimmering, add the thyme bundle and cook for a few minutes to infuse the oil.
3. Add the onion, garlic, salt & pepper.  Cook for 5 minutes, until the onion is soft, translucent, but not brown.
4. Turn the heat up to high and add the mushrooms.  Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the vermouth and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid has been absorbed
5. Add the broths and the reconstituted mushrooms, along with the soaking water {mushroom broth}.
6. Simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove the thyme bundle and then add the cream and butter.  With a hand-held immersion blender, purée the soup until smooth.  Keep at a very low simmer until ready to serve.

Okay, at this point, I must be honest.  I am the Queen of homemade stock but the Holidays depleted my stock of…stock… and I have not been able to set aside two days to make fresh batches of both chicken & beef stock.  So, when in a pinch, I use the Better Than Bouillon products.  They are better than any prepared product that I have tried and you can easily adjust the strength of the stock to suit your needs.

With that being said, prepare two cups each of a chicken stock & a beef stock {which means adding 2 teaspoons of the Bouillon to 16 ounces of boiling water for each of the chicken & beef stocks} and set aside and continue with the recipe…

 After simmering the soup for 30 minutes, remove the thyme bundle & add the cream and butter, stirring until blended.  Then, with  hand-held immersion blender, purée the soup until smooth.  Keep the soup warm at a very low simmer until ready to serve.

Now, finish the salad…

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette & Spicy Almonds {adapted from a recipe by Wendy Silver in My Favorite Chopped Salad Recipes}

• 8 slices of applewood-smoked bacon, cooked and chopped {bacon drippings from pan reserved}
• 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings
• 4 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled & crushed
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 dashes of Tabasco
• Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
• 8 ounces, sweet baby spinach leaves, washed and thoroughly dried
• ¼ of a red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup spicy almonds {see above for recipe}

1. Add the 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings to a skillet over medium heat.  When shimmering, add the crushed garlic, but do not allow it to brown.
2. Add the olive oil & remove from heat.  Whisk in  balsamic vinegar, Tabasco, and salt & pepper to taste.
3. Right before serving, place spinach, red onion, almonds and chopped bacon into a large bowl.  Drizzle warm dressing on top.  Toss with crumbled Goat cheese & serve immediately.