Soup is the Secret

I experiment in the kitchen a lot. Some of the experiments aren't what I was hoping for, but I serve them anyway. So why is my husband always happy to come to the dinner table? He loves soup. And, the riskier the experiment, the more likely I am to make soup to go with.

Soup is also great to round out a menu when you're not sure what else to have. You know those recipes that are too simple to be a main dish, but complex enough to be more than a side? They're perfect with soup. You can find or invent a soup recipe for just about any cuisine, with just about any main ingredient. The only thing I haven't served soup with is more soup. Yet.

A couple of weeks ago, I wasn't too sure about the butternut squash gratin, so I dug around in my cookbooks for a new soup recipe to make with it. It's autumn, so I pulled out The Vegetarian Times Complete Thanksgiving Cookbook from Vegetarian Times. Since I'm more experienced with cooking spicy food than traditional North American cooking, this cookbook has been a great reference for me. I chose Potato-Mushroom Soup with Apple because it was simple and I thought the flavors would complement the gratin. We loved it! I had some left over so I put it up in the freezer. We just had this again with some whole-wheat bread.

I used oyster mushrooms in this, but creminis or button mushrooms would be good, too.

Potato-Mushroom Soup with Apple

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, minced
3 cups thinly sliced potatoes (I used Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled)
1-1/2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
4-6 green onions, sliced
6 cups vegetable broth
1 or 2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
1 crisp apple, cored, peeled, and diced (I used a cameo apple, white the recipe calls for a Rome)

In a large pot, heat olive oil. Saute onion until tender, about 3 minutes. Add potatoes and mushrooms and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add green onions, broth, soy sauce, thyme and pepper. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

Stir in parsley and apple just before serving.

Makes 5 servings