At Home: Polish Mushroom Soup

Keith grew up with classic Polish dishes made by his grandparents, Walter and Olga. They only made them mostly during the holidays or for special occasions. They never really wrote anything down, so these recipes were recited from memory and are very loose interpretations with "a little bit of this....a dash of that...." to make it all taste good! This next installment of What Micky Eats...At Home features Grandma Olga's Mushroom Soup.

Grandma Olga's Mushroom Soup

• 1 package wild dry Polish mushrooms (can be found at any Polish market)
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• ½ cup half & half
• 1 onion, chopped
• cooked butter noodles and/or kluski (Polish plain dough dumplings)
• salt & pepper to taste
• olive oil

- Soak the dry mushrooms overnight in a large pot filled almost to the top with water.
- Next day remove mushrooms; DO NOT DISCARD THE WATER.  The water needs to be strained through a very fine colander (preferably lined with a cheese cloth) to remove all the dirt and sediment.
- Wash mushrooms thoroughly to remove any grit.
- Cook onion in olive oil until translucent; add mushroom, 2 beef bouillon cubes and the mushroom water; add some pepper; let simmer for 1½  to 2 hours.
- After simmering, add can of cream of mushroom soup to the pot.  Mix thoroughly.
- Remove about  ½ cup of the soup into a glass or cup and add  ½ cup of half & half to the mixture; stir together and then add back to the soup.
- Serve soup over noodles.

We can attest that Grandma Olga's Mushroom Soup is pretty authentic and just like the kind we had in Poland.  If you're in the mood for something comforting on a cool or wet day, then give this recipe a try.