Soup's On...

Remember this?



Soup has always been a comfort food for me. Rich, creamy, warm, and delicious…there is nothing better, in Fall, than a cup of soup to warm you all the way down to your toes. When I was living in Portland, there was an old European Bakery on Morrison St. that served the most delicious Hungarian Mushroom soup. The Three Lions Bakery, (which I hear has unfortunately gone out of business) served this soup with crispy bread sticks. The soup is creamy, a little spicy, and will lead your imagination to faraway lands.

I’ve adapted the Three Lions Bakery recipe, that I clipped from the Oregonian newspaper back in 1994. To get the best flavor be sure to use real Hungarian Paprika—other types won’t taste nearly as good.


Hungarian Mushroom Soup
Makes about 8 cups

6 Tbs butter
1 ½ Cup chopped onion
4 tsp Hungarian paprika
4 tsp dried dill weed (fresh is better, if you have it available)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2/3 Cup all-purpose flour
1 2/3 Cup milk
2 2/3 Cup chicken broth (original recipe calls for water)
2 Tbs Tamari (or soy sauce)
2 Tbs lemon juice
½ Cup sour cream
3 Tbs minced fresh parsley
4 Cups sliced mushrooms


In a large saucepan, melt butter and sauté the onion along with the paprika, dill weed (unless you use fresh, in that case add the fresh dill weed just prior to serving and decrease the amount to 3 teaspoons), salt and pepper until the onion is tender. Whisk in the flour and then the milk and chicken broth. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until the soup begins to thicken, then add the mushrooms and cook for additional 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Tamari, lemon juice, sour cream and parsley. Serve immediately.



Note: If your local grocer doesn’t carry real Hungarian Paprika you can get it here. Penzey’s Spice Company is where I get most of my spices. Their selection and quality is hard to beat. For this recipe I use the Hungarian Half Sharp.

Also, because I think it's hilarious, here is The Best of The Soup Nazi…enjoy!