Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (40 page)
SERVES 4 TO 6
Lightly toasted pumpkin seeds, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, or a dusting of paprika make appealing accompaniments to this soup in addition to the croutons.
4 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
1 | large shallot, minced |
3 | pounds butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise, each half cut in half widthwise; seeds and fibers scraped out and reserved |
6 | cups water |
Salt | |
¹⁄ | cup heavy cream |
1 | teaspoon dark brown sugar |
Pinch ground nutmeg | |
BUTTERED CINNAMON-SUGAR CROUTONS |
1.
Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add seeds and fibers from squash and cook, stirring occasionally, until butter turns saffron color, about 4 minutes.
2.
Add water and 1 teaspoon salt to pot and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, place squash, cut side down, in steamer basket, and lower basket into pot. Cover and steam until squash is completely tender, about 30 minutes. Take pot off heat and use tongs to transfer squash to rimmed baking sheet. When cool enough to handle, use large spoon to scrape flesh from skin. Reserve squash flesh in bowl and discard skin.
3.
Strain steaming liquid through fine-mesh strainer into second bowl; discard solids in strainer. (You should have 2¹⁄
2
to 3 cups liquid.) Rinse and dry pot.
4.
Working in batches and filling blender jar only halfway for each batch, puree squash, adding enough reserved steaming liquid to obtain smooth consistency. Transfer puree to clean pot and stir in remaining steaming liquid, cream, and brown sugar. Warm soup over medium-low heat until hot, about 3 minutes. Stir in nutmeg, season with salt to taste, and serve. (Soup can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP
2 | slices hearty white sandwich bread, crusts removed, cut into ¹⁄ |
1 | tablespoon unsalted butter, melted |
2 | teaspoons sugar |
¹⁄ | teaspoon ground cinnamon |
1.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine bread cubes and melted butter in medium bowl and toss to coat. Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl, then add to bowl with bread cubes and toss to coat.
2.
Spread bread cubes in single layer on parchment paper–lined rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet to room temperature. (Croutons can be stored for up to 3 days.)
Sprinkle lightly toasted pumpkin seeds over each bowl of soup for a nice textural contrast.
Follow recipe for Silky Butternut Squash Soup. While squash is steaming, stir together ¹⁄
4
cup plain whole-milk yogurt, 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro, 1 teaspoon lime juice, and ¹⁄
8
teaspoon salt in small bowl. Add 1¹⁄
2
teaspoons curry powder to squash while pureeing in blender. Continue with recipe, garnishing each bowl of soup with dollop of cilantro yogurt.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
For a substantial mushroom soup with a distinctive, deep mushroom flavor and a rich texture that was neither too thick nor thin, we cooked readily available white mushrooms low and slow with butter and shallots before pureeing them. Finishing the soup with a splash of Madeira (a classic match for mushrooms), cream, and lemon juice brightened the soup and added complexity. A garnish of sautéed wild mushrooms added a hit of earthiness and flavor to our soup. To make sure that the soup has a fine, velvety texture, puree it hot off the stove, but do not fill the blender jar more than halfway, as the hot liquid may cause the lid to pop off.
SERVES 6 TO 8
The mushroom garnish adds visual appeal and texture to this creamy soup.
6 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
6 | large shallots, minced |
1 | garlic clove, minced |
¹⁄ | teaspoon ground nutmeg |
2 | pounds white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced ¹⁄ |
3¹⁄ | cups low-sodium chicken broth |
4 | cups hot water |
¹⁄ | ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed |
¹⁄ | cup Madeira or dry sherry |
1 | cup heavy cream |
2 | teaspoons lemon juice |
Salt and pepper | |
1 | recipe |
1.
Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add shallots and sauté, stirring frequently, until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and nutmeg; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute longer. Increase heat to medium; add white mushrooms and stir to coat with butter. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms release liquid, about 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and mushrooms have released all liquid, about 20 minutes.
2.
Add broth, water, and porcini mushrooms to pot. Cover and bring to simmer, then reduce heat to low and simmer until mushrooms are fully tender, about 20 minutes.
3.
Puree soup in batches in blender until smooth, filling blender jar only halfway for each batch. Rinse and dry pot and return soup to pot. Stir in Madeira and cream and bring to simmer over low heat. Add lemon juice, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve with Sautéed Wild Mushroom Garnish. (Soup, minus garnish, can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
MAKES ENOUGH TO GARNISH 6 TO 8 SERVINGS OF SOUP
2 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
8 | ounces shiitake, chanterelle, oyster, or cremini mushrooms, stemmed and sliced thin |
Salt and pepper |
1.
Melt butter in 10-inch skillet over low heat. Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms release their liquid, about 10 minutes for shiitakes and chanterelles, about 5 minutes for oysters, and about 9 minutes for cremini.
2.
Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid released by mushrooms has evaporated and mushrooms are browned, about 2 minutes for shiitakes, about 3 minutes for chanterelles, and about 2 minutes for oysters and cremini. Serve immediately as garnish for soup.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
For a vegetable soup that satisfies, we started by roasting a combination of carrot, celery, onion, portobellos (key for meaty flavor), and a head of garlic, then simmered the roasted vegetables in broth along with leek greens, plenty of herbs, and flavor-packed dried porcini mushrooms for a deep, rich soup base. Tossing the vegetables in tomato paste before roasting enriched their flavor even more. We squeezed the roasted garlic out of its skin and into the fortified broth to both thicken and flavor it. Potatoes, carrots, celery root, and lima beans gave our soup heft, and mashing some of the potatoes helped to further thicken it. Finishing with escarole gave it fresh flavor. For a textural contrast, we topped the soup with garlicky crostini slices.
SERVES 4 TO 6
If you can get “petite cut” canned diced tomatoes, they can be used after draining, without any additional chopping. Serve with toasted slices of baguette rubbed with the cut side of a garlic clove and brushed with extra-virgin olive oil.
STOCK
1 | large carrot, peeled and chopped |
1 | celery rib, chopped |
1 | onion, chopped |
3 | portobello mushrooms, chopped coarse |
1 | head garlic, outer papery skins removed and top third of head cut off and discarded |
3 | tablespoons olive oil |
4 | teaspoons tomato paste |
9 | cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth |
2 | medium leeks, halved lengthwise, green parts chopped and washed thoroughly, white parts sliced thin, washed thoroughly, and reserved for soup |
10 | sprigs fresh parsley |
4 | sprigs fresh thyme |
2 | bay leaves |
¹⁄ | ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed |
SOUP
1 | (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained, tomato pieces chopped coarse |
12 | ounces russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¹⁄ |
2 | carrots, peeled and cut into ¹⁄ |
¹⁄ | head celery root (14 ounces), peeled and cut into ¹⁄ |
1 | small head escarole (12 ounces), stemmed and leaves cut into 1-inch pieces (4 cups) |
1 | cup frozen baby lima beans, thawed (optional) |
2 | tablespoons minced fresh parsley |
Salt and pepper |
1. FOR THE STOCK:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Place carrot, celery, onion, portobellos, and garlic head on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and toss to coat. Add tomato paste and toss again to coat. Spread vegetables in even layer, set garlic head cut side up, and roast until vegetables are well browned, 25 to 30 minutes.
2.
Combine roasted vegetables, broth, leek greens, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, and porcini in Dutch oven. Cover and bring to simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, 30 minutes.
3.
Remove garlic head from pot and, using tongs or paper towels, squeeze at root end until cloves slip out of their skins into small bowl. Using fork, mash garlic to smooth paste and set aside. Strain stock through large fine-mesh strainer, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids in strainer.
4. FOR THE SOUP:
Rinse and wipe out Dutch oven. Add tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, celery root, reserved whites of leeks, strained broth, and garlic paste to pot and bring to simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are tender when poked with skewer or paring knife, about 25 minutes. With back of wooden spoon, mash some potatoes against side of pot to thicken soup. Stir in escarole and lima beans, if using, and cook until escarole is wilted and lima beans are heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. (Fortified broth can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.)
