Mushroom Spinach Soup With Middle Eastern Spices Food

MUSHROOM-SPINACH SOUP WITH CINNAMON, CORIANDER AND CUMIN

Steps:

• Heat 3 tablespoons butter or oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add half the mushrooms and half the shallots; cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are well browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to a bowl and repeat with remaining butter, mushrooms and shallots.
• Return all mushrooms to the pot and stir in tomato paste, thyme, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and allspice; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir in 5 cups water, the salt and the black pepper. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat and cook gently for 20 minutes. Stir in baby spinach and let cook until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Using an immersion blender or food processor, coarsely purée soup. Mix in lime juice. Thin with water, as needed. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve with dollops of yogurt if you'd like.

MUSHROOM-SPINACH SOUP WITH MIDDLE EASTERN SPICES

Steps:

• Heat 3 tablespoons butter or oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add half the mushrooms and half the shallots; cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are well browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to a bowl and repeat with remaining butter, mushrooms and shallots.
• Return all mushrooms to the pot and stir in tomato paste, thyme, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and allspice; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir in 5 cups water, the salt and the black pepper. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat and cook gently for 20 minutes. Stir in baby spinach and let cook until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Using an immersion blender or food processor, coarsely purée soup. Mix in lime juice. Thin with water, as needed. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve with dollops of yogurt if you'd like.

BULGUR BOWL WITH SPINACH, MUSHROOMS AND DUKKAH

Steps:

• Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the bulgur and salt to taste, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat, uncover and place a clean dish towel over the pan, then replace the lid. Allow to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes or longer. Alternatively, reconstitute the bulgur just by placing it in a bowl, mixing with salt to taste, and pouring on 1 1/2 cups boiling water or stock. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes, until the bulgur is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Transfer to a strainer and press out excess water. Set aside.
• To make the dukkah, chop the nuts very fine. Mix with the toasted sesame seeds in a bowl. In a dry skillet lightly toast the coriander seeds just until fragrant and immediately transfer to a spice mill and allow to cool completely. In the same skillet toast the cumin seeds just until fragrant and transfer to the spice mill. Allow to cool. When the spices have cooled, grind and add to the nuts and sesame seeds. Add the nigella seeds, sumac and salt and mix together.
• In a large, heavy skillet heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat and add the red onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is very tender and lightly colored, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Add the mushrooms to the skillet and turn up the heat to medium high. Cook, stirring or tossing in the pan, until the mushrooms begin to sweat, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and continue to cook, stirring, until just tender and moist, another couple of minutes. Add the remaining olive oil and the garlic, stir together for about 30 seconds, until fragrant, and stir in the wine. Cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, until the liquid in the pan has evaporated, and add the spinach and salt to taste. Cook, tossing the spinach in the pan with tongs, until the spinach has wilted, which shouldn't take much longer than a couple of minutes. Add the dill and stir everything together.
• Combine the bulgur and chickpeas and heat through, either on top of the stove or in the microwave. Spoon into wide bowls and top with the mushrooms and spinach. Arrange the red onions on top and if desired add a drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle each serving with about 2 to 3 teaspoons dukkah and serve.

MUSHROOM-SPINACH CREAM SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, saute mushrooms and onions in butter until tender. Stir in flour and seasonings until blended; gradually add milk and broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. , Stir in spinach. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until heated through.

MIDDLE EASTERN SPINACH WITH SPICES AND YOGURT

Steps:

• Heat a small dry skillet over medium heat and add the clove, allspice berries, and coriander seeds or cumin seeds. Heat, shaking the pan, until the spices begin to smell toasty, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool for a few minutes, then grind in a spice mill. Add the cinnamon, and set aside.
• In a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic with 1/4 teaspoon salt to a paste, and stir into the yogurt. Set aside.
• Place the baby spinach in a bowl and pour on boiling water to cover. Let sit for a couple of minutes, then drain, rinse with cold water, squeeze out excess water, and chop coarsely.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy skillet and add the pine nuts. Cook, stirring, until they begin color (2 to 3 minutes), then remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the spices to the oil. When they begin to sizzle, cook for about 30 seconds and add the spinach, toasted pine nuts, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, until the spinach is heated through and coated with the oil and spices, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and spoon the yogurt over the top. This is very nice served with Arabic bread.