Stone Soup

Some dishes look so good you can taste them with your eyes. Others smell divine but require a blindfold. If I hadn’t been a broke student when I first tried this recipe, I would never have gotten the results past my lips. You see, the original instructions said to puree the soup, but doing so produced a puce, concrete-like gruel that looked like it would harden on the spoon. Hungry and out of options, my roommate and I slurped “Stone Soup” by candlelight. Fortunately, low lighting and an excessive amount of cayenne distracted us.

Despite its shortcomings, the soup had merits, and after a few rounds of tweaking, became a favourite. Today, I just sliver the mushrooms and wait for the praise.

Simple Slivered Mushroom Bisque
Printable recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 large onion, minced
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 12 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced (button mushrooms work well, but feel free to experiment with other kinds)
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme, or 1 tsp fresh
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 cups dark vegetable stock
• 1/2 to 1 cup sour cream (I like more, recipe calls for less. If you’re concerned about calories, try Balkan yogurt instead)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• fresh dill

Instructions

1. Gently heat butter in frying pan and saute onion in the salt for 10 minutes.
2. Add mushrooms, dill, thyme, paprika and cayenne and cook slowly for 7 to 10 minutes on low. This step is important as it brings out the flavourful juices.
3. Add stock and bring to boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
5. Add half the sour cream, lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste.
6. Garnish with extra sour cream and fresh dill.

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