Mushroom Soup with Basil !!!

                               A warm bowl of soup on a winter night (or day) !!!
Just reading this line gives me warmth. Who doesn't like a bowl of soup on wintry nights ???

   

Chef is busy watching snow !!!

As you may know I wasn't into cooking anything special until recently. And most of my inspiration for new dishes comes from restaurants. When we moved to USA I was obsessed with Food Network.I felt like if I keep watching enough food making I will be able to understand western food (something very new for me) and cooking techniques of this new land. But turned out that only you can only watch food on TV,You don't know what it is going to taste like. So many of my Food Network inspirations was a failure.



But Food Network taught me a lot. Names of the ingredients, different processes and best of all experimenting. So slowly I started to take notice of the food we eat in the restaurants. Most of the time ,though unconsciously I tried to imaging what was in the food and how it has been made. And that's how I picked up the recipe for this soup. After eating the same soup twice, I came to understand it is something really simple. And it is time to use my beloved Basil right off the plant.

Mushroom Art !!!

Aarav has only recently started to eat soups. He only loves crunchy things. And there no crunchy  soup in this world. If you know one please give me the recipe. So in efforts to act like a big kid he was ready to eat soup (3-4 TBSP at max). But he loves basil. Most of the leaves from my Basil plants go straight in his tummy.

                                             

                                           Tips :

• Basil is a herb you need to use a lot get the nice flavor. First time around I used almost all the leaves from my tiny plant.
• Using fresh Basil is highly recommended. But if you can't have fresh ,dried is OK too.
• Some stores have frozen herbs too. They are bit expensive. But they are better than buying fresh basil.
• Sometimes fresh basil are not so fresh. And you have to use them within 1-2 days.
• If you can't mix the flour and milk perfectly, without any lumps use an hand mixer to do the job (like I do). Just make sure to add mushrooms afterwards.
• Soup will thicken after 2-3 hours. 
• If you don't have vegetable stock to make the soup thinner,don't add just water. add 1 or 2 vegetable flavor bullion (cubes) . 

Prep  Time   :    15 minutes
Cook Time  :    20 mintues


Ingredients  :

2   cups        sliced Mushrooms
1  TBSP      Olive oil  +   2 TBSP Olive Oil
2   TBSP     All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 Cups  Milk
1/4  Cup     Chopped Basil (or more if you want)
Salt to taste

To make the soup thinner :
 Vegetable stock or Water + vegetable Bullion







1)  Saute the Mushrooms in 2 TBSP Olive Oil till they are tender.

2)  Meanwhile start the soup base in a separate pan. Lightly heat the 1 TBSP olive oil.

3) Add flour in the oil and stir it till it turns light brown. Keep the heat low.
4) Once the flour is cooked add milk ,while adding the milk stir rapidly with a whisker so there are no     lumps of flour left. (check Tips to avoid lumpy flour in your soup).

5) Let milk cook for 3-4 minutes.
6) Add cooked Mushrooms and Basil. Let them cook for 2-3 Minutes.

Our Tiny Winy Celebration to Welcome The Sheep Year !!!

                                               Happy Chinese New Year !!!

Sorry, We don't have a recipe this time. But I wanted to share this fulfilled day with you all. From few weeks we are bringing books related to Chinese New Year. And Aarav so wanted to make the Dumplings to bring the good luck and wealth (he has no idea what that means). So we decided to do exactly that. But the idea was so prompt we wasn't able to do any decorations. Maybe Next year !

Now My brother asked me that what do you have to do with Chinese New Year? And I was like isn't word celebration enough to cheer a kid who is stuck in house for days. I guess he will celebrate every single festival (even fool moon ,no moon days on calender) once he has his own little monsters.

As an Indian you grow up with lots and lots of different festivals from all the religions followed side by side. And major festival of each religion has a national holiday. So we are used to celebrate festivals to which we are not directly connected. And I was lucky to get a chance to travel to many countries with my dance troupe since I was 14. It gave me a broader view of the world which I have read in books or seen on TV. And I so glad my son is open to except which come across his life. 

I wanted my kids to learn about different culture not only because there are so many opportunities to stumbling upon people or places totally different from you, But I also want him to feel comfortable , rather confident about being different too. I want him to know that how important it is to respect other cultures too. Since he started school, many time he has felt that why we do thing differently form his English friends (anyone who is not Indian). Sometimes he has even refused to do things our way. So I hope teaching him about different cultures will make him comfortable both here in USA and when we visit India. 

Do you celebrate or include customs from other cultures ? Why ? What customs ? We would love to know about your adventures in adopting new customs.

Roasted Red Papers in Balsamic Vinegar !!!

I wouldn't have made them till summer or at least spring , until the insane prices of papers would come down a little. Only last week I was talking to my friend about how expensive all the papers are in winter and how we love to have them in salads and everything.

But maybe the people at grocery store heard my prayers and lowered the prices , so I bought a whole lot of papers for my Roasted Red Papers in Balsamic Vinegar.

We first tastes this (or something like this) at a small cozy family style Italian Restaurant. Though I have never tasted Balsamic Vinegar by the color and taste I assumed that the Papers are marinated in Balsamic Vinegar. So I thought about giving them a try.








You can use them in salads, sandwiches or eat just like that.

Prep Time :  10 Minutes
Cook Time : 30 Minutes + 10 minutes

Now 30 minutes doesn't sound like a quick fix , But that's the time for roasting them in the oven. Practically all you have to do is watch TV, Cook actual Dinner or watch the papers while they are having fun in the sun (well Oven).

Ingredients :

4  Big      Red Papers




2  TBSP  Balsamic Vinegar
3  TBSP  Olive Oil
1  Clove of Garlic
Salt to taste

Preheat the Oven 350 Degrees F / 175 Degrees C

1) Cut the papers in half. Put them on the baking sheet lined with aluminium foil.
2) Oil the skin of the papers. That way the skin will peel of easily once the are roasted.
3)  Put the baking sheet on the Oven and let the paper roast for 30 minutes. Or until the skin start turning black on some places.
4) Take them out of the oven and let them cool.
5) Once cooled peel the skin off and cut them in to strips.
6) Mix all the other ingredients onto a bowl or a jar and put the papers in.

Let them sit and sip all the vinegar and garlic flavor for and hour or so before serving.

My Mom's Tomato Soup !!!

This soup is more like a Tomato broth than soup. But all the aromas from cumin and clove makes it so irresistible in winter. Well it took me few years to figure out that why my soup didn't had any color when I made it in winter in USA. Because in India tomatoes are winter vegetable (or fruit) and in USA they are in season in summer.

Prep Time :  5 Minutes
Inactive      :  10-15 Minutes
Cook Time :  15  Minutes

Ingredients : 
2   Medium size tomatoes
3   Cups   Water
1  Green Chili (to taste)
1-2  TBSP   Tomato ketchup or puree (for color)
Salt to taste
Pinch of sugar

For Tempering /Tadka  :

1  TSP  Ghee or Oil
1/2 TSP Cumin
1-2 Cloves

1) Boil the tomatoes.
2) Crush the tomatoes and chili.
3) Add The tomatoes  to water.
4) Boil it for 8-10 minutes. Add salt and sugar.
5) In a small pan heat the ghee or oil. Add cumin and cloves. Ones the get brown (in 30-45 seconds)
    pour it over the soup.

6) Enjoy.....