Cook with us Week #27 - Muscadel Chicken & Mushroom Soup
Nothing like coming home after a long day on a cold winter's night to the smell of Mom's soup wafting from the kitchen.
Mom Lily used to make the most delicious chunky Red Lentil & Split Pea soup filled with whatever vegetables were growing in the garden. Usually this would be accompanied by warm homemade Cheese Scones, a treat all on its own :)
This meal was nourishing and economical with not just four, but five small mouths to feed; yes the last one was not planned, but like Mom always says, my baby brother was the best mistake she ever made ;)
After a gorgeous start to Spring with warm sunny weather and the garden coming to life again, we suddenly experienced icy cold weather. Yes, the weather report came through that there had been some snowfalls on the higher peaks of the central Drakensberg, just over two hours drive from us. Of course when that happens, we know all about being cold again! Murphy's law, I put my electric blanket in storage just last week!
The theme for Week #27 of @cookwithus contest is Soup, and was very well received by my family, papa Bear and granny Bear aka Mom Lily!
Thank you to the team @chefsteve, @offoodandart and @pandamama for the hard work behind the scenes, and a huge thank you to our generous sponsors as well! Love this community of cooks and food lovers!
I first heard of Chicken Marsala from an American guest at our BnB a couple of months ago, an Italian-American dish made with sweet Marsala, a fortified wine.
Of course I went to granny Google for a look-see and found an awesome recipe on the food blog Gimme Some Oven for a Chicken Marsala Soup.
We mostly serve breakfasts, but this looked absolutely delicious so I spoilt our guest with dinner on her last night, but tweaked the soup recipe here and there. We enjoyed it so much that I immediately thought of that when I started thinking of what to serve all my #cookwithus friends.
My Muscadel Chicken & Mushroom Soup is chunky and fragrant - juicy Lemon and Thyme Chicken fillets, Muscadel wine, small Shell Pasta shapes, Portobello and White Button Mushrooms, Spring Onions, Spinach, Wheat Grass, Carrots and Coconut Cream all came together in a symphony of flavours, absolutely delicious and comforting soul food!
I could not find any Marsala Wine, so used a South African fortified sweet dessert wine, a white Muscadel, made from the Muscadel grape, truly a part of our wine heritage.
MUSCADEL CHICKEN & MUSHROOM SOUP
- 400 gram Chicken fillets
- 1 Lemon
- a few sprigs fresh Thyme
- 100 gram Butter
- Olive Oil
- 400 gram Portobello or White Mushrooms
- 1 small Onion, sliced
- 1 carrot, cubed
- 4 Garlic cloves, crushed
- 3 tablespoons Flour
- 200 ml Muscadel wine
- 2 litres Chicken Stock
- 200 gram Pasta shapes
- Spinach leaves, diced
- Spring Onions, diced
- Wheat Grass, finely shredded with scissors - reserve some for garnishing
- 1 can Coconut Cream
- Parmesan cheese
Method
1. Marinade Chicken fillets in Thyme and juice of half a Lemon, plus Lemon slices or chunks
2. Sautée on high heat in Butter & Olive Oil, remove from pan, let it rest and shred into smaller pieces
3. Sautée Mushrooms, adding extra Butter & Olive Oil if required, remove and keep aside
4. Sautée Onions, Garlic & Carrots
5. Add Flour and cook about a minute
6. Add half the wine, stirring, then add remaining wine plus the Chicken stock
7. Add Pasta & Thyme and cook for about 10 minutes whilst stirring now & then
8. Add Chicken, Spring Onions and Spinach
9. Lastly add Coconut Cream plus juice of half a Lemon, stir and check seasoning
Parmesan Toasties
- Honey & Oats bread
- Parmesan Cheese, finely grated
Method - Lightly toast bread, cut out shapes with cookie cutter
- Place grated Cheese on top & pop under grill till browned
- Garnish soup with finely grated Parmesan & Wheat Grass, pop toastie on top
Sit back and enjoy, I guarantee everyone will want seconds :)
Hope we get to enjoy your Soup here on @cookwithus!
A quick look at the cooking process
Thank you for stopping by
Comments, upvotes & resteems all much appreciated :)
Copyright @lizelle - All Rights Reserved
ooohhh... yummy!
Almost makes me wish we could have one last cold snap so that I can try this one out as well :P
We had a real cold snap here in KZN but it's starting to warm up again, was a lovely soup, different to my usual veggie soup. Thank you for your support :)
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Thank you @thesteemengine, really appreciate your support :)
FOR TSE: The 1 can coconut cream. I assume you're talking about coconut milk -- kind of creamy texture / slightly coconut flavored / tends to clump on top when you open the can / used a lot in Indian food. Not the sweet syrupy stuff you use to make pina coladas.
Hi @enchantedspirit, I prefer using the Coconut Cream ( thick & creamy), it's more condensed than the Coconut Milk which is almost watery and can have lumpy bits, both are not sweet. It's often used in curries especially Indian and Thai food. I forgot to take a photo when I was adding it to the soup at the end. It's thick and snow white and gave the soup the creamy colour. The recipe called for dairy cream but I think it would have been too rich then.
Thank you for your lovely feedback and support!
Lovely story Lizelle and love all the little extras that you always add. Good luck this week - lucky guests you have - hope you get noticed by Curie
Thank you for the lovely challenges @pandamama, I learnt a new recipe here, curie enjoyed my sandwich this week, always a lovely surprise ;)
I'm so glad to hear that
Hi @lizelle! This soup would really warm you up on a chilly day. I like how you made the dish your own by using your local wine. I also like the story about Mom Lily and the lentil and pea soup. These kinds of soups are the best when you are using home grown vegetables. I have always loved the economy of the kitchen and using what you have on hand to make a delicious, nutritious and economical meal. Thanks for sharing with us today!
Ah thank you @chefsteve, my grandpa always joked and said Mom Lily could take a stone and turn it into a delicious meal! She still bakes meat pies, rusks and cookies at 87! I just have to help putting into the oven and taking it out as she's a tad unsteady now, tiny but determined ;);)
Oooh yummy. Nothing like a soup for those cold days but i love soup even in summer time. I have to try this with the coconut cream.
I'm the same @freetissues, can eat soup any time :) Thank you for your support!
You definitely know how to treat your guests and what a nice treat this is. How I would love to be one of your guests someday.
Great soup with the shell pasta and all those wonderful ingredients. Not only does your soup sound delicious, it's hearty and creamy. And as if that wasn't enough, you top with parmesan toasties to give it another layer of enjoyment.
Great entry as usual @lizelle! Thank you and good luck!
Thank you so much for your lovely comments @offoodandart, oh that would be a treat for me to have you as a guest :)
Replacing dairy cream with coconut cream worked so well as I think it would have been too rich with dairy cream. It was quite fulfilling, could have a large bowl all on its own as a meal ;)
Thank you for the awesome challenges!
Thank you too for your contribution to the community! Your positive attitude and enthusiasm has been contagious! That's definitely a good thing!
Thank you so much @offoodandart!
You're welcome @lizelle!
oooooh that looks so delicious @lizelle! Your guests were very blessed last night with this comfort soup, especially on a cold spring evening. Well done, love the toasted stars :) Always so creative my friend! Good luck!
Ah thank you @birdsinparadise, it was delicious abd satisfying, sure you're enjoying family time :)
What a great idea adding wheat grass to soup! The broth looks so flavorful and what a terrific interpretation of Chicken Marsala in a soup form. Even better using your Muscadel wine. The star parmesan toasts is a signature @lizelle creative touch.
Oh it was delicious and so satisfying @loveself, I would never have thought of adding a dessert wine to soup but it worked like a charm, our Muscadel is a great dessert wine!
Thank you for your valued feedback always :)
Great post and great recipe @lizelle. I love how you give us a little personal insight into your life. I’m sure you’ve made mom Lily proud. Your Muscadel chicken and mushroom soup looks and sounds absolutely inviting and delicious. I’ve seen a few recipe with Marsala wine and has always wondered if I’ll find one bottle around if I do decide to make anyone of these dishes. It appears that they are not readily available in South Africa I might need to look around down here. Good luck this week.
Ah thank you for your lovely comments @foodforsoul, I've had Marsala before but somehow it was out of stock, Muscadel is a similar dessert wine and really worked well, this definitely is a new favourite soup :)