Tomato Vegetable Bisque

Chop the following into a 3 quart soup pot:

• 2 Carrots
• several stalks of Celery
• 1 lg. Purple Shallot
• 1 sm. Purple Onion
• 1 med. Cipollini Onion
• 2 tiny Bell Peppers

Sauté in a couple tablespoons of EVOO for just a few minutes, then add the following.  Cover and simmer 20 minutes then uncover and continue to simmer another 10 minutes.

• 1½ cold filtered water
• 3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary
• 1T Roasted Garlic and Herb Seasoning
• 1T Better Than Bouillon - vegetable flavor
• ½t finely ground black and cayenne pepper

Remove the rosemary sprigs, add 28oz. of Crushed-Diced Tomatoes and 1T sugar then blend with an immersion blender.  I didn't use the smaller can of stewed tomatoes.

Simmer another 10 minutes then take off the burner and let cool half an hour. Add 1c Half & Half, Heavy Cream, or Sour Cream and half a bunch of fresh Cilantro Leaves and Genovese Basil and blend again. Heat just until it bubbles then serve. 

Mmmm this is such a good Fall Soup! . .Lin

Hungarian Mushroom Soup (with beef)

1/2# very lean stew meat - cut small

4T butter

1/2c red wine - or -

2-4T good dark Balsamic vinegar

1/2 lg. onion - chopped

1 lg. shallot - sliced

4 lg. cloves garlic - minced

12-16oz. mushrooms - sliced

1t± ground red and black pepper

3T flour

6c water

3T Better Than Bullion beef soup base

1c half and half or heavy cream

I can't believe it's a 91° day and I'm in the kitchen - making - a hearty winter soup!  I had a cup of Hungarian Mushroom Soup at a restaurant yesterday and loved it.  So before I forgot all the flavors, I had to try duplicating it - regardless of the weather.  I improvised a lot, since the waitress only told me "mushrooms, beef stock, wine and cream."  On the way home we stopped at a local meat market and their beef stew meat was so beautiful, so in the pot with a little of that too!  Well. . .I aced it!  This is one soup I'll make again, with or without the beef.  

Brown the stew meat in butter.  Add next 5 ingredients and the pepper.  Saute' on high heat until mushrooms are cooked and everything's nicely browned.  Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, covered, for another 10 minutes, adding a little of the water if needed.  Sprinkle the flour over this mixture and stir well.  Pour in the remainder of the water and the soup base.

Stir and bring to a low-medium boil for about 5 minutes then remove from the heat.  Let stand a while or chill a couple hours to blend the flavors.  Just before serving, stir in the cream and warm to just below the simmer point.  Serve with croutons or crusty buttered bread and a big salad. . .Lin