Hungarian Mushroom Soup

This Hungarian soup is loaded with pieces of mushrooms. Try to get a couple of types of fresh mushrooms, like some button mushrooms and some cremini (also called "baby bella mushrooms"), and perhaps you can get some mixed dried mushrooms. The varied tastes and textures of the mushrooms is great for this soup, and those eating it will likely not believe it if you tell them there is no meat in it. Just be sure not to include any tough mushroom stems. Generally the stems of the white button mushrooms are edible, but crimini and portobella muchroom stems can be tough, even like wood. By the way, these three mushrooms are all really the same mushroom, with the difference being in their age, color and texture. White button mushrooms are the youngest; thus, the stems have not toughened. The crimini are a little older and they have turned brown, and the portobella (some spell it 'portabella') is the large fully matured mushroom. 

Ingredients: 

8 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped (no tough stems)

2 or 3 ounces dried mushrooms, soaked, then chopped (reserve strained soaking liquid, see further)

1 medium to large onion, chopped (red or white)

3 tablespoons butter + 1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup liquid from soaked mushrooms

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 heaping tablespoon Hungarian sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk (NOT canned condensed milk, which is sweetened)

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon tamari soy sauce or other soy sauce

2 teaspoons Gravy Master or Kitchen Bouquet

1 tablespoon dried dill (or 3 tablespoons fresh chopped dill)

1/2 teaspoon salt (remember, the chicken broth likely has salt, so you may not even need to add salt)

In a bowl, soak the dried mushrooms for 20 to 25 minutes in about 1 1/4 cups water. In a heavy bottomed pan or pot over medium heat, add the olive oil and melt the butter. Add the chopped onion and saute for 3 or 4 minutes, then add the chopped mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until the onions soften and the mushroom pieces cook down somewhat (initially, you will have a mountain of mushroom pieces). Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms, stir well to mix, then cook for another 2 minutes, then drain the soaked mushrooms and add the mushroom soaking liquid to the pan and stir well. Add the paprika, black pepper, soy sauce and Gravy Master or Kitchen Bouquet, then stir in the chicken broth and salt, if using, and mix well. Bring the soup to a simmer and adjust the heat to maintain that light simmer for 12 to 14 minutes. Stir in the milk, then after about just one minute add the lemon juice and stir in the sour cream. Keep the soup on the heat just for another 3 or 4 minutes. If you'd like, you can top each serving with a spoonful of sour cream dusted lightly with some Hungarian sweet paprika.

 

WORD HISTORY:

Avarice-This word is closely related to "avid," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English via French. "Avarice" goes back to Indo European "heweh," which had the notion "to enjoy, to enjoy immensely." This gave its Old Italic offspring "awe(o)," with the meaning, "to desire, to crave, to be eager (for)," a result of enjoying immensely. This gave Latin the verb "avere," meaning, "to be eager for, to crave," which produced the adjective "avarus," meaning, "greedy," and this gave Latin the noun "avaritia," meaning, "greed," also, "gluttony," in reference to food consumption. This passed into Latin-based Old French as "avarice," meaning "greed," and this was borrowed by English, circa 1300, meaning, "greed, excessive desire for money or wealth," also, "desire for power."