Friday, February 26, 2016

Winter Soup with Enoki Mushrooms and Pea Shoots


Along with some some dear friends, we escaped the Midwest winter to the California desert for a very brief while to golf and relax. While we're glad to be back home, the weather there was so beautiful with unseasonably warm temperatures and abundant sunshine that it seems SE Wisconsin feels even colder now after being in California.

The first thing I wanted to make after we returned home was a hearty soup to make our tummies feel they were filled with sunshine.  


I made a basic beef stock with lots of veggies and had hoped to use the meat from the beef shanks used in making the beef broth, but they weren't as tender as I'd hoped and had too much gristle.  I made a quick trip back to the store to buy a very small chuck roast which I seared and roasted in the oven until it was falling-apart tender.  It was a great idea and one I'll continue to use when I make this soup in the future! A fortunate find of some fresh pea shoots and Enoki Mushrooms sounded like they would 'brighten' the soup beautifully, so those went into my cart also.


The flavorful crunch of the Enoki Mushrooms and the spring-time fresh taste of the pea shoots really took the soup from ordinary to extraordinary!

One of the inspirations for making this soup was a copy of Brodo - a Broth Bone Cookbook that I had recently ordered.  I found some some great ideas in it, one of which was to garnish soup with roasted garlic paste made from whole roasted garlic bulbs.  It was perfect on this hearty beef broth soup adding a wonderful depth of flavor.

 
I also made some simple cheese, garlic and herb puff pastry breadsticks using this recipe that I've shared before. This time, I added some granulated garlic along with a little dried basil, oregano, red pepper flakes and sea salt to the breadsticks.

We could still get plenty of snow here in March, but here's hoping the last three weeks of winter are kind to us all!

Winter Soup with Enoki Mushrooms and Pea Shoots

Printable Recipe

Note: This broth if best if made a day ahead and refrigerated overnight so that any fat solids can be removed after chilling.

You have several options for using the broth...

1. Drink it alone as a warm and rejuvenating cup of broth.
2. Add roasted beef and additional reserved vegetables the next day as stated in the recipe below. You may reuse the vegetables used in making the broth but they will be very soft.
3. Add cooked noodles of your choice to your bowl before ladling in the broth and top it with a soft-cooked egg and sliced scallions.

Ingredients for making the broth:

3 pounds of meaty beef bones, such as beef shanks or shin
1 large onion, peeled and cut into large dice
3 celery stalks, washed and cut into large dice
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into large dice
1/2 bunch parsley, washed
3-4 sprigs of thyme, washed
1 Bay leaf (optional)
3-4 inner stalks (hearts) of celery with leaves
1 tablespoon ground pepper
1 tablespoon fine sea salt
Cheesecloth for straining broth

Additional optional ingredients to make your broth into vegetable and beef broth bowls as I did:

1 large onion, peeled and cut into large dice
3 celery stalks, washed and cut into large dice
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into large dice
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large dice
1/2 small green cabbage, washed, core removed and cut into 1" pieces
2 pounds of beef chuck roast, roasted and chilled overnight (see below)

Optional Garnishes:

1-2 whole garlic bulbs, roasted and mashed into a paste with a fork (see below)
Enoki mushrooms and pea shoots for garnish (optional)
Additional chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Directions

With kitchen twine, tie together the parsley, thyme and celery heart stalks and optional bay leaf into a bunch (the Bouquet Garni).

Heat a large stock or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and and add the bones to pot. Sear until browned on all sides, about 20 minutes. Remove bones from pot and pour off excess oil. Return the bones to the pot and add water to cover bones by about 2-3 inches. Bring to a boil, skimming the foam off the top every 10 minutes. Boil for about 45 minutes. Add additional water if necessary to keep bones covered. Add the diced onions, celery, carrots and Bouquet Garni. Add salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered for about 4 hours. Add more water to the pot, if necessary to keep bones under water.
After the broth has simmered for 4 hours, allow to cool for 15 minutes. Place a colander over a very large bowl or another pot and strain the bones and vegetables from the broth. I like to strain the broth a second time over a finer-mesh strainer lined with a layer of cheesecloth. Any solids which remain in the cheesecloth, skim off with a large spoon and discard. You will need to do this in stages. Discard the bones, bouquet garni and vegetables. Chill the broth overnight and skim off the fat solids the next day. I like to strain the broth again the next day over a strainer lined with cheesecloth to get rid of any additional fat solids or residue. At this point you will have a wonderful beef broth to enjoy any way you choose.

To make vegetable beef soup using the broth follow these directions:

The day you make the broth with the bones and vegetables, while it is simmering for the 4 hours, preheat the oven to 325F. Heat an oven-proof, covered pan or enamel cast-iron dutch oven with lid over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sear chuck roast until very browned on both sides, seasoning with salt and pepper on both sides when turning. When well-browned, add 1/3 cup of water to the pot, cover and place in the preheated oven for 2 hours. Chill and reserve for the broth bowls the next day. Your may use the liquid from the roasted beef in your beef broth also.

At the same time you are roasting the meat, you may also roast the bulbs of garlic. Remove any loose skin from the garlic. Slice off the tops of the garlic bulb to expose the cloves. Rub with olive oil to coat and season with salt and pepper. Wrap the bulb/bulbs in aluminum foil, and roast until tender, about 1 hour. When cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic cloves from their skin onto a cutting board. Mash them with a fork into a paste. Place in a bowl, cover and refrigerate until the next day.

The day after you make the broth and have removed the fat solids and strained it, place the broth back in the pot and bring to a low boil. Add the additional optional vegetables and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes to an hour.

Meanwhile, remove roasted chuck roast from refrigerator and slice into 1/4-1/2 inch thick julienne slices, removing any fat as you cut.

Place as many slices of beef you desire into a soup bowl and then ladle the hot broth and vegetables on top. Garnish with a teaspoon of mashed roasted garlic, Enoki mushrooms, pea shoots and chopped parsley. Enjoy!

Inspired by Brodo, A Broth Bone Cookbook

55 comments:

  1. How cute are enokis w/ a tendril beside them?
    I love pretty food..I looked for watermelon radishes today..2 places..they had never heard of them..
    just made Asian soup in a big bowl..it is still very much soup season here still..freezing today w/ winds to skin a cow.

    Beautiful PS golf course..and yours..ours is ice and snow and fallen branches..no power Wednesday night till this morning..and our internet needs a doctor tomorrow;) Hungover i think it is from the ice storm.I hate no power..even though we have a fireplace and generator.
    Your soup looks delish nana.

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    1. You made me laugh with 'winds to skin a cow'! LOL! We've had terrible winds in the Midwest the past couple of weeks too. Lindsay lost a grape vine trellis to the wind last week! I can't imagine being without power in the winter. You are lucky to have the generator. I've seen those beautiful watermelon radishes in photos but haven't seen them for sale here yet. Hope your internet doctor makes house calls :)

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    2. He's here..why do I fall in love a little bit with internet geniuses when they make things work so well?
      Nice guy.

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  2. Beautiful photos, Susan. Spring is around the corner!

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    1. Thank you, Marigene! We have some fairly nice (for here) weather predicted for the end of February!

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  3. Looks alone I can tell that this soup is really something special. I love everything about it. It has been quite warm here in Az, today was in the eighties, beautiful golf courses.

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    1. I'll bet AZ is getting the same unseasonably warm temps and Southern CA! Thank you, Cheri!

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  4. A delicious meal, Susan, and gorgeous photos!
    Amalia
    xo

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  5. How nice that you even made your own broth! The soup looks super warming and delicious. A great recipe, Susan.

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  6. My first reaction to seeing the first photo was - that looks like sunshine on a place. And that's what you were aiming for! I know you must have enjoyed escaping the Wisconsin winter. I am not a cold weather person in the least. The spiral bread sticks just make the whole meal come together beautifully. I am very impressed that you made your own broth too Susan. I can imagine what a difference it must have made compared to store-bought.
    Sam

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    1. Thank you, Sam! We had a wonderful trip and the weather could not have been more beautiful. Sigh ;)

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  7. That looks delicious, hearty and I can almost taste it. Fabulous photos, Susan. Such a lovely presentation. I'm so slack at that, so doubly impressed when I see the effort you put into it.
    Don't you love the gelatinous texture of homemade broths just as you're adding them> Always seems to me to add such richness. Making your own broth is so worth it!

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    1. Thanks so much, Barbara! Making homemade broth is a labor of love but so worth it. My husband and I can dine on a pot of soup for several days :)

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  8. That soup looks a perfect comfort food,here the wind is blowing and spring is not so near, have a nice weekend my dear, a warm hug

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    1. I hope it warms up for you soon, Chiara! Thank you very much :) xo

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  9. Great looking soup Susan, perfect for your cold winter.

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  10. you are making wish it is as cold in Dallas as in Wisconsin! Lovely soup, love the addition of garlic paste, roasted of course.

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  11. So glad you got away for a nice vacation - and especially nice that is was a warm and beautiful location. I bet we still get another blast or two of winter so I am still loving soups too. I adore pea shoots :) and those mushrooms look so fabulous! Have a great weekend!

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    1. I adore pea shoots too! I don't always see them so grabbed some when I did :) Thanks so much, Tricia!

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  12. It's nice to visit the sun in mid-winter. The golf course pictures say it all - and I'll bet the one on the right will be snow-covered again before winter is over. I don't believe I have ever seen enoki mushrooms. I will have to look with new eyes the next time I shop. The pea shoots - well they just sing out 'spring'!

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    1. It was a welcomed getaway! I don't see Enoki mushrooms often either so they were a great find. I loved their taste in the soup! Thank you, H!

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  13. That lovely soup would have been most welcome on our table during last week's blizzard!

    Best,
    Bonnie

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    1. It's supposed to snow here tonight so I wish there was some left! Thanks, Bonnie!

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  14. Your soup sounds like a warm and comforting soup. A little old fashioned but with a modern twist, it has everything going for it.

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  15. What a beautiful soup. And I love that my Whole Foods carries Pea Shoots. I always feel like I'm eating so fresh when I use them. I don't know about you, but I'm ready for Spring. I need to see some of that green grass around here. :)

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    1. I feel the same way! We have lost almost all the snow on the ground and we're supposed to get 3-5 more inches tonight :( Thanks, Lea Ann!

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  16. I hope I can find some enoki mushrooms and pea shoots at Wegman's next weekend. I'm ready for a comforting soup!

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    1. I found these at a store called Meijers. Not sure if they're just in the Midwest though. Good luck, Debbie and Thank You!

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  17. pleased you had a good trip the soup looks delicious

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  18. Your soup looks like it would cure any winter blues. A great combination of textures, colors, flavors...

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  19. That soup looks amazingly delicious. I feel as if I need something nutritious and satisfying like this after a week of tomato soup.

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    1. It's time consuming but so worth it, Vee. Hope you're feeling better!

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  20. I am really craving soup right now, your recipe sounds amazing. Nothing but a large hot bowl of this and a cozy blanket would chase away the winter blues faster!

    XO,
    Christine

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    1. I think we're all ready for spring! More soup days left here. Thank you, Christine!

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  21. My mother used to make many soups like these! Love that they are now called bone broth's! Nice for you to get away, but I must admit that I love the serenity of a golf course in winter. How nice of you to be able to walk it! Love these pics, also!

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    1. So did my mother, Abbe :) Bone broth and broth bowl, the new vocabulary :)

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  22. I think we are both in a soup mode haha! This soup is the best way to adjust yourselves from the warm temps of California to your chillier weather! Love it!

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    1. There are many possible soup days left here before it gets warm, Katerina! Thank you!

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  23. Sounds like a wonderful getaway! I'm hoping winter is over but I am a bit nervous because it's been so unseasonably warm! Soup looks beautiful and delicious.

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    1. It really was great, thank you, Julie! Our temperature has been up and down here lately but looks like a nice warm up coming again next week.

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  24. I've been so curious about bone broths... they seem like they could cure anything that ails you!

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    1. That's what they say :) There are couple of other broths that I'm excited to try from the book! Thanks, Sue!

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  25. I love the combination of the hearty meat with the delicate mushrooms and shoots!

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    1. This looks like a nice hearty soup! I never cooked with enoki mushrooms before so this looks like a wonderful way to try them. Glad you had a nice vacation!

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  26. I miss eating enoki mushrooms, they look so wonderful in the soup!

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  27. YOur soup looks lovely and I am drooling over your puff pastry cheese sticks ( which by the way I am definitely making and sharing your link to your blog.

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    1. And your photos are always beautiful! Have a great weekend Sue! Happy Spring!

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  28. This soup sounds amazing, Susan! I love the addition of the enoki mushrooms and seriously think that it sings 'spring' with the fresh mushrooms too! I hope that you had a lovely Mother's Day (with or without children!).
    Ciao,
    Roz

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I appreciate your comment!