| |
|
|
 |
Hearty Fish
Soup with Cider, Leeks and Mushrooms
Yield: 6 servings
It's hard to go wrong with this soup since the flavors of leeks,
mushrooms and cider finished with heavy cream make a delicious
base for just about anything. The fish becomes almost superfluous.
This version is thickened with lightly toasted bread, but you
can also use potato or sweet potato. Just cook 2 medium-size
peeled and sliced potatoes or sweet potatoes along with the
squash at the beginning.
Ingredients:
Fish Broth
- 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 3 leeks, green part only, but whites
reserved, coarsely chopped
- 5 cups hard cider or 3 cups apple cider
combined with 2 cups water
- 1 bouquet garni
Soup
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 18 small mushrooms, quartered
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 Tablespoon parsley or chervil, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Calvados
- 1/3 to ½ cup cider vinegar
- Salt and white pepper to taste
To prepare the fish broth, have the
fishmonger gut and fillet the fish and remove the skin. Be sure
to save the fish head and bones. When you get the fillets home,
check them carefully and remove any bones.
Make a fish broth by thoroughly rinsing the head and bones in
cold water and combining them with the onions, leek greens,
cider and bouquet garni in a 4-quart pot. Bring the broth to
a slow and simmer for 30 minutes, skimming off any froth that
floats to the top. Strain the broth through a medium-mesh strainer.
At the last minute, slice the white parts of the leeks finely
and put them in a 4-quart pot with the butter. Cook them gently
until they soften, for about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and
cook gently for 3 minutes more.
Just before serving, arrange the fish in one layer in the pot
with the leeks and mushrooms. Pour the simmering fish broth
over the fish. Poach the fish fillets for about 8 minutes for
each inch of thickness and distribute them among soup bowls
with a slotted spoon.
Add the cream, parsley, Calvados and a tablespoon of the cider
vinegar to the broth. Taste it, adjust the vinegar, and season
with salt and pepper. Ladle the broth with the mushrooms and
leeks over the fish.
Suggestions and variations
Apple wedges lightly sautéed in butter make a lovely additional
garnish for the soup.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
