The Cooking Critic

Once upon a time I didn’t like mushrooms. I went through a sad, mushroom-less existence until I happened upon my 20s, then suddenly I became a convert. I wish I could remember the exact moment the mushroom caught my eye, what I was wearing, if I sauntered across a crowded dance floor toward the buffet table initially distracted by some canapés while “Do You Believe in Magic” played in the background. I don’t know how it happened exactly, but clearly I saw the mushroom warranted my attention. Now, to make up for my earlier mistake, I consume as many mushrooms as humanly possible. I’m not picky: shitake, portobello, crimini. I love them all. If a dish on a menu includes this vegetable, it’s very likely I’ll order it for the mushrooms alone. The steak that comes with it is just a bonus.

With my love of the mushroom has come an addiction to cream of mushroom soup—there are worse addictions—and I make it regularly. I have a recipe from a William-Sonoma book that takes some time but is exceptionally good, and then I have this Mushroom Soup from Real Fast Food, which is much easier, not quite as wonderful, but still amazingly satisfying. This soup is especially good when you dunk some slices of baguette in it. (I recently became a dunker of bread into soups and sauces as well.) A glass of red wine tastes good with it too.

Adjustments: I heated the soup again after whirring it around with the cream in the food processor. And since my milk’s expiration date had passed, I used double the cream and no milk at all—the recipe called for equal parts milk and cream. Also I added a bit of Madeira wine while the soup warmed back up and sprinkled chopped parsley on the finished product. And this is a thin mushroom soup, so if you like yours thicker, reduce the liquids.

Assessment: Soup! I love it! This one’s good! But not spectacular! But easy! I recommend it!

I’m not sure that I’ve eaten bulgur wheat before, but I’m strangely drawn to recipes using it, though I can’t say it sounds entirely appetizing. Maybe I want something just because it’s good for me? Stranger things have happened. . . . Anyhow, came across the substance in a health food store (Nature Mart–love it), purchased it on a whim, and whipped up a batch of Bulgur Wheat with Mushrooms (from Real Fast Food by Nigel Slater). The recipe said to cook the bulgur wheat till tender, but it never approached anything remotely close to tender. After adding quite a bit more water, I got it to about al dente. It wasn’t a bad little dish. It certainly tasted healthy, but what’s wrong with that? And it was really easy. Good as a side dish or a main course with a side salad. Not the most photogenic food (that’s why I didn’t enlarge the picture), but I can’t judge–I’m not very photogenic myself.

Adjustments: A decent amount of extra water (I lost track of how much), and the recommended cheddar if you don’t have Gruyère.

Assessment: Seeing as I have a big old bag of bulgur wheat in my cabinet now, this dish will definitely be appearing on the menu again in the future. It was nice for a change.