Creamy Mushroom & Cauliflower Soup

  When the temperature drops, you feel it in your bones.  This soup brings the kind of warm comfort that lingers.  A trio of mushrooms, a browned onion, and a whole cauliflower cook down into something velvety and deeply savory, built on structure rather than excess.  The thyme anchors it, the cayenne sharpens it, and the cream brings everything into focus without weighing it down. 

  Finish with warm sourdough and a drizzle of olive oil, and you get a quiet, reliable meal for a cold winter day.

INGREDIENTS 

• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 (8 oz) yellow onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 16 oz baby bella mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 8 oz shitake mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 8 oz portobella mushroom caps, cleaned and roughly chopped
• 1 (8 0z) cauliflower head, cut into florets
• 4 oz fresh thyme
• 2 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 16 oz vegetable stock
• ½ cup heavy cream
• Sourdough bread
• Salt and Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

     1).  In a large pot, heat the butter and olive oil until butter is bubbling.

     2).  Sauté onions for 5-10 min on medium-high heat, until they begin to brown.

     3).  Stir in garlic until fragrant (2 min).

     4).  Add all mushrooms and sauté for 7-10 min, until the mushrooms have released their liquid.

     5).  Season with salt, pepper, dried thyme, and cayenne pepper; stir.

     6).  Add cauliflower, bay leaves, vegetable stock, Worcestershire and soy sauce.

     7).  Bright the pot to a boil, then reduce to a simmer; cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes.

     8).  Taste to adjust any seasonings.

     9).  Remove the pot from the heat source, pour in cream, and season with salt and pepper.  Let cool slightly, then use an immersion blender until smooth and creamy.

     9).  Serve with warm sourdough bread, a drizzle of olive oil and fresh thyme.

SERVES 6-7 

Beef Bourguignon

     Winter is a season for indulging warm comforts.  This hearty French stew, hailing from the Burgundy region, is great for cuddling by the fire.  It combines fork-tender chunks of beef with the deep flavors of red wine, mushrooms, and herbs ... Takes a full afternoon of prep, so plan accordingly.  I like to accompany with warm bread and a bottle of Pinot or Cabernet ... Bon Appétit! 

INGREDIENTS 

• 3 lbs boneless chuck roast, trim the fat and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 8 oz / 6 slices thick bacon, chopped
• 16 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 2 medium carrots, cut diagonally into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1 lb baby potatoes, halved
• 2 yellow onions, roughly chopped
• 10 oz frozen pearl onions
• 15 oz reduced-sodium beef broth
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 bottle dry red wine (Pinot or Cab)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp flour
• Salt and pepper
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme (tied in a bundle)
• 2 whole bay leaves

INSTRUCTIONS:

     1).  Pat the beef dry and season with 2 tsp salt and 2 tsp black pepper.

     2).  Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is browned and beinning to turn crisp and the fat has rendered (about 15 minutes).  Remove the bacon to a plate and set aside.

     3).  Add the mushrooms and 2 tbsp butter to the pot.  Stir to combine.  Sauté over medium heat until the mushrooms are nicely browned and have given up their liquid (about 12 minutes).  Add a pinch of salt and stir to coat.  Remove the mushrooms to a bowl and set aside.

     4).  Increase the Dutch over to medium-high heat.  Add a layer of beef cubes (you'll need to work in batches) and sear until the beef is nicely browned on all side (about 5 minutes).  You do not need to cook all the way through.  Remove the beef to a plate and set aside.  Repeat with remaining beef.

     5).  Carefully pour in about 1/5 of the bottle of wine.  Stir to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot (keep it in; that's flavor!).

     6).  Reduce the heat to medium.  Add the carrots, potatoes, onion, with 2 pinches of salt and 2 of pepper.  Sauté until the onions are lightly browned (about 15 minutes).

     7).  Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for another minutes or two until fragrant.

     8).  Return the beef and bacon to the pot, along with any juices that have collected on the plate.

     9).  Add the remaining wine and broth.  Add the thyme and bay leaves.  Increase the heat to bring the liquid to a simmer.

     10).  Cover, then carefully transfer the pot to the oven.  Bake the beef bourguignon for 1.5 hours at 370 degrees until the meat and vegetables are fork tender.

     11).  In a small bowl, mash 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp flour together, then stir into the stew.

     12).  Stir in the pearl onions and mushrooms.  Bring the stew to a boil, then lower the heat and let simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove the thyme bundle and bay leaves before serving.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Accompany with warm bread and a bottle of Pinot or Cab.

SERVES 8