Celeriac cream soup

Early and cold this year's autumn is a fact. That is why we are going to use the whole splendid celeriac the good mother-in-law we are given by.

 Celeriac cream soup
(two portions for abnormal, according to Septime, people or 4 for the others)



1 medium (about 10 cm in diameter) celeriac with leaves
4 medium size potatoes
2 carrots
1 onion
1 tomato
fresh ginger 3 slices
50 g butter
1,5 l vegetable or chicken stock (can be from cube)
half tsp nutmeg salt and pepper to taste
thick cream and fresh chopped parsley for finishing

1. Peel and cut vegetables into chunks.

2.  Soften the celeriac leaves on butter on medium heat in a pot.

3. Add the vegetables and ginger and cover with stock. Bring to boil.

4. Cook until the vegetables are soft. Blend well and season.

5. Decorate with a dollop of a thick sour cream or plain yoghurt  and some chopped parsley. Serve with yummy bread. I am in.

Mushrooms in cream

Another mushroom must dish are mushrooms in cream. This is the easiest way to go with them (unless we taste them raw). This is a very easy starter that can feed you as well as a main course. This recipe applies to different mushroom kinds. Really elegant and a very ancient one option are chanterelles or saffron milk caps just fried on butter with no cream added and sprinkled with some parsley. Onion is optional in both cases but I prefer it.

Mushrooms in cream

for 2 people

150 g bottom mushrooms, porcini or others

1 small onion

50 g butter

salt to taste

150 ml double cream

1. Melt the butter in the frying pan. Chop the onion and fry until transparent.

2. Cut the mushrooms into slices. Add to the frying pan. Toss while frying. Season. You can experiment with spices here (I've tried recently the fennel  sprig which produced a nice result).

3. When the mushrooms are done add the cream, reduce the cream until thickened a bit, check the seasoning. 

4. Serve hot with bread.

Except the photos nothing is left. It's curtains.

Veggie's must mushroom cutlets

 While my husband was away I held a mushroom festival in my kitchen. Cutlets are rather rare fare among the mushroom dishes. They are worth trying as mushrooms provide the nice moist consistency to the dish. That is way you have to be quick with quite loose mixture to be fried. The carrot gives extra colour to the food and the parsley gives a really pleasant taste to the final product, as the optional ginger. Enjoy!

 

Mushroom cutlets

for 2 people

150 g bottom mushrooms

1 onion

1 carrot

2 Tbsp oil

1 tsp fresh ginger chopped, soy sauce (optionally)

1 egg

5 Tbsp flour

salt, pepper

small bunch of parsley

breadcrumbs

oil for frying

1. Chop the onion and brown in the frying pan. Add the chopped carrot.

2. Wash and cut the mushrooms into smaller pieces, add to the onion, cook until the mushrooms are done. Here add some ginger and soy sauce and fry for 2 minutes. Cool down.

3. Chop half of the parsley. Process the mushrooms (it doesn't have to be a smooth paste), add parsley, flour and slightly beaten egg. Mix well.

4. Take about 2 tablespoons of the mixture and coat carefully in the breadcrumbs. If you find the batter to loose you can add more flour but then the final product won't be so juicy.

5. Heat the oil (a layer of 0,5 cm should be fine) and fry on both sides.

6. Serve with mashed potatoes and cooked vegetables. Decorate with the remaining parsley.

It also goes well between two bread slices:-)

Polish marinated porcini mushrooms

Boletus edulis, more commonly known as porcini (meaning a piglet, did you know that?!) used to be served only in the noble houses in the Old-Polish era. Polish name of this mushroom, borowik, means 'a forest mushroom' and the popular name calls it prawdziwek meaning a true mushroom', both stressing its royal status among Polish mushrooms (by the way, the English name is penny bun or cep and the French cèpe de Bordeaux). They have something aristocratic in their look and their firm flesh makes a great base for many dishes. Mostly it would be boletus in cream or soup of dried mushrooms. One of the favourite ones are the pickles which are said to be perfect to go with Polish vodka. Thus it is unbelievable that boletuses were introduced to New Zealand and the South Africa...

Marinated boletus (marynowane prawdziwki)

For a 200 ml jar

100 g cleaned mushrooms cut into pieces

1 small onion, halved and sliced

300 ml water

1 tsp salt

pinch of sugar

Bring the water with spices to boil. Add mushrooms and onion and cook slowly for half an hour. Drain.

Marinade:

300 ml water

200 ml table vinegar (10%)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

5 allspice grains

5 peppercorns

1-2 bay leaves

Bring the water with spices to the 

boil, simmer for 5 minutes. 

Place mushrooms in a warm sterlized jar and carefully cover with boiling marinade. Quickly screw the lid on and turn over the jar. Leave it upside down until cold. That way it should be sealed well (with the lid concave). However if you are not sure if the jar is airtight, you can pasteurize it by placing the jar in a pot and pouring over the water nearly to the lid, bringing to boil and boiling slowly for 10 minutes or so. Then take the jar out and leave to cool.

Let the mushrooms marinate at least for a month. It keeps really well and makes a good gift when visiting friends from other countries;-)

This recipe applies to many types of mushrooms, among others chanterelle or the bottom mushroom. Enjoy!