This soup is amazing. It’s a little different than my “usual” fish chowders, but yet also really similar. When I am developing recipes, I usually compare three or four and then start experimenting. The things that were identical between the three recipes that I looked at were Atlantic white fish (cod, halibut, etc), shrimp/prawns, leeks and … saffron. Really, saffron? Turns out, it is a great addition to the soup. And the color is amazing. This is definitely a recipe going on repeat!
Hokkaido pumpkins seem to be more popular in Germany than they are here in my neck of the woods of Greater Boston. For a while, they were very trendy and one of my aunts in Germany really loved them. They also go by the names Kuri Squash and Baby Red Hubbard Squash. Either which way, they have a nutty, peppery flavor which I enhance with curry and a pinch of nutmeg. If you can’t find a Hokkaido Pumpkin, you can also use butternut squash to make this soup.
I love Spinach. I think that I write that every time that I make a spinach-based recipe. I also love cheese, and in this case, it is Boursin cheese that one I guess would usually spread on crackers or something, but this time I mixed it with ricotta and filled shells with it. Gives the spinach casserole a garlicy kick.
I love Chicken Marsala. It’s been one of my “go to” meals for a while and I always have a bottle of marsala wine in the pantry in case the mood hits me. That said, over time, the recipe has changed and evolved to increase the flavor. I typically ramp up the flavor with some dried porcini, and other umami-intense ingredients such as tomato paste and garlic. This feeds a lot (at least 4 people) and freezes well.
My dad used to make next-level soups. They were amazing. Number one by far was his New England Seafood Chowder, but second was his Mushroom Soup. Of course, first, he would forage the mushrooms, then spend hours painstakingly cleaning them, and then came the soup making. For a few weeks some summers, he would make and sell this Mushroom Soup (either Chanterelle or Porcini or both) at a farmer’s market and people would come watch him make it. He would sell out in under an hour.
This Mushroom Medley Soup pays homage to that soup. This is likely one of the best savory things that I have made all year (ok, ok, it’s only January 3rd…. let’s count last year as well). This is the most flavorful, hearty, homey and delicious thing to come out of my kitchen in a whole. And given the arctic temperatures outside, today was the perfect day to make it.