Cream of Chanterelle Soup with Arugula – A Summer Delight

 

There was a time, back when we were living in London, when arugula seemed to dominate every salad bowl. It was everywhere—peppery, slightly bitter, and, frankly, I grew tired of it. But tastes evolve, and I’ve recently rediscovered my love for this vibrant green. Last week, I shared a dreamy arugula pesto recipe that’s still lingering in my thoughts, and now I’m back with another arugula gem: a luxurious Cream of Chanterelle Soup with Arugula, adapted from a recipe by Viking River Cruises.

Now, soup in summer might raise eyebrows, but I’m a year-round soup enthusiast, no excuses needed. This recipe, with its fresh arugula and delicate chives, screams summer freshness. The creamy, earthy chanterelles meld beautifully with the peppery greens, creating a bowl that’s both comforting and light. I’ve never sailed with Viking (though I’ve long daydreamed about their river cruises winding through Europe—alas, it’s likely not in my future), but I was thrilled to discover they share recipes online. I tweaked their version slightly to suit my palate, swapping shallots for onions and adjusting quantities, but the essence remains divine.

While I may never glide down the Danube with Viking, their culinary inspiration has brought a touch of river cruise elegance to my kitchen. This soup feels like something you’d savor on their deck, watching castles drift by. If you’re curious about more of their recipes, check out vikingrivercruises.com—they’re a treasure trove.

Here’s my take on this elegant soup, perfect for a summer evening or whenever you crave something soul-warming yet fresh.

Cream of Chanterelle Soup with Arugula

Adapted from Viking River Cruises

 2 t. olive oil

1 Melissa’s shallot, finely chopped

½ t. Melissa’s minced garlic

8 oz. fresh chanterelle mushrooms, sliced

1 t. flour for dusting

2 T. white wine

3½ c. chicken broth

1 c. heavy cream

4 oz.  Melissa’s arugula

Salt and pepper to taste

1 t. fresh chives, chopped

 

  In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic until translucent, about 4 minutes.

 Add chanterelles and sauté for 3 more minutes. Sprinkle flour over the mixture, then pour in white wine and chicken broth, stirring to combine.

Simmer for 30 minutes, letting the flavors meld.  Stir in heavy cream and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.  Gently fold in arugula, cooking just until wilted.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

 Serve in pre-warmed bowls, garnished with chopped chives.

 Serves 4

Serve this with a crusty baguette and a glass of crisp Sauvignon Blanc for a simple yet sophisticated meal. If you’re feeling fancy, a side of grilled asparagus or a light arugula salad (yes, more arugula!) complements it perfectly.

What’s your favorite way to enjoy arugula? Or do you have a summer soup you swear by? Let me know in the comments—I’m always up for new recipe inspiration!  

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Dolly Parton's Stampede Soup (Copycat)

Despite the fact that I have lived in Missouri pretty much all of my life, I have never been to Branson, ergo, am unfamiliar with Dolly Parton’s Stampede Dinner Theater, that, from what I’ve read, has attracted millions of people (at last count a whopping 20 million). Supposedly it is the world’s most visited dinner show attraction.

Part of its appeal, I’m told, is the four-course meal served in tandem with stunning live performances. A mainstay on the menu for decades is the show’s beloved Dolly Parton Stampede Soup. I had never heard of this before, the ingredients are few, and it sounded too easy to be any good, so naturally, I had to try it. I quite liked it. Don’t let its humble appearance fool you. It’s mild, but flavorful — real comfort food, particularly when served with biscuits on the side. I tend to make soup year round, and I think this will be the perfect summer soup, although indulging in winter is nice too. Next time, to make it heartier, I may just add a little cooked chicken.

Dolly Parton's Stampede Soup (Copycat)

From tasteofhome.com

 4 c. chicken stock*

1 bay leaf

1 t. onion powder

1 t. garlic powder

1 t. kosher salt

½ t. freshly ground black pepper

¼ c. cornstarch

¼ c. water

2 c. heavy cream

2 c. frozen mixed vegetables, partially thawed (e.g., a medley of green beans, carrots, corn and peas)

2 T. fresh parsley, finely chopped (for garnish)

In a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot, combine the chicken stock, bay leaf, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat.

 In a small glass measuring cup, dissolve the cornstarch into the water, whisking together until lump-free.

 Once the seasoned stock is simmering, whisk the cornstarch slurry and heavy cream into the pot, and whisking until smooth.

 Add the vegetables to the soup (you can roughly chop them into smaller bite-sized pieces if yours are on the larger side). Bring the soup back to a simmer and then let cook, stirring occasionally, until thick and creamy, about 10 to 12 minutes.

 Once thickened, remove the bay leaf and then stir in the fresh parsley. Ladle into bowls and serve hot.

 *I use my own homemade 

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Curried Avocado Soup

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I love avocados in any form. I will cut them in half and eat them as is, I will put them on toast or in salads, whip them into salad dressing, I have even made gelato out of them. I have a favorite cucumber and avocado soup that is pleasantly mild and flavorful, but I had never thought about the addition of curry. While perusing the July 15th issue of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, I cut out a recipe for Curried Avocado Soup, and had the opportunity to try it this week. I think this is one of my new favorite ways to eat an avocado. I seriously made moaning sounds with every bite. If you like avocado like I do, you need to give this a try.

Curried Avocado Soup

Slightly adapted from St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 15, 2020

2 medium-ripe Haas (dark-skinned) avocados

2¼ c. vegetable stock, divided*

1 to 1½ t. curry powder

¼ - ½ t. salt, or to taste

¹⁄8 - ¼ t. white pepper

½ c. heavy cream

2 T. fresh lemon juice

Split the avocados in half with a knife and remove the pits. Set aside one half. Scoop out the insides of the other 3 halves with a spoon and blend with 1 cup of the stock in a blender or food processor (I used the latter) until smooth. Stir in the curry powder, salt, pepper, cream and the remaining 1¼ cups of stock. Chill.

When ready to serve, garnish the soup with thin avocado slices that have been cut from the remaining avocado half and dipped in lemon juice.

*If you don’t have vegetable stock, chicken works as well.

Fresh from the Garden Tomato Soup

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Considering the number of tomato plants that I have growing this year, I would have thought that I would’ve gotten a lot more tomatoes than I did. As it turned out, a couple of them were disappointingly determinant, so they are finished for the year. I decided to put those tomatoes to different use than I have in years past by making fresh tomato soup. I had never had fresh tomato soup prior to making it on my own, and if you find yourself in the same situation, you must give this a try. Other than a bit of chopping, there is really not much to this, considering the fabulously fresh, complex, and tasty results. My advice to you would be to double this recipe. This won’t last long.

Fresh from the Garden Tomato Soup

4 c. chopped fresh tomatoes

2 Melissa’s shallots, chopped

4 whole cloves

2 c. chicken broth

2 T. butter

2 T. flour

1 t. salt

2 t. white sugar

1 T. balsamic vinegar

¼ c. heavy cream

In a stockpot, over medium heat, combine the tomatoes, shallots, cloves, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, and gently boil for about 20 minutes to blend all of the flavors. Remove from heat, cool for 15 minutes, and run the mixture through a food mill into a large bowl. Discard skins, seeds, and other disjecta membra.

In the now empty stockpot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour to make a roux, cooking until the roux is golden brown. Gradually whisk in a bit of the tomato mixture, so that no lumps form, then whisk in the rest. Season with sugar, salt, and vinegar, to taste. Stir in heavy cream. Serve warm.

Makes 4 starter servings, or 2 luncheon servings. Can be doubled.

Fresh Tomato Gazpacho

I had lunch with my aunt last week, and was lamenting the fact that I almost had more tomatoes than I could handle. Every day I was having some form of fresh tomato, and while I thoroughly enjoyed every dish I’d made with them, I was growing weary of tomatoes. She happened to mention a recipe for gazpacho that she enjoyed, that, it turned out, was conveniently located within the food-stained pages of one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, St. Louis Days St. Louis Nights. I looked it up, and, using it as a guideline, was off and running. Magnificent! I used a variety of toppings, and, depending upon my mood, used everything from chopped chives and chopped parsley, to homemade croutons and feta, to sour cream and pesto. You can’t mess this up; it is an excellent, tasty, and cooling way to start any meal.

Fresh Tomato Gazpacho

1 clove garlic, cut into quarters
1 Melissa’s shallot, peeled and quartered
½ fresh red or green bell pepper, cut in half
½ cucumber, peeled and quartered
4 large tomatoes, peeled and quartered
½ t. salt
¼ t. Melissa’s Lemon Pepper
1 T. good olive oil
3 T. red wine vinegar
1 c. Cucumber Dill Bloody Mary Mix

Place all ingredients as haphazardly as possible into the work bowl of a food processor. Blend until thoroughly combined, 10 to 15 seconds.

Chill and serve topped with the garnish of your choice. (Here I used sour cream, basil leaf, a small slice of cucumber, and ground Melissa's Red Hatch Chile Pecans.)

Serves 8 (Unless you’re me, and then it only serves one.)

PRINT RECIPE

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Pesto Cucumber-Avocado Soup

Remember last week when I told you to be sure to make the Lemon Basil Vinaigrette because you would need it again? If not, go back and look, I’ll wait. Here’s the reason that you need it, to add a wonderful fresh pesto taste to this delicious cold summer soup. There is nothing better on a hot day than a cup of cold soup, and this one is cooling, refreshing, loaded with nutrition, and lots of flavor. It’s like summer in a cup.

Pesto Cucumber-Avocado Soup

1 large, ripe avocado, peeled and pitted

1 large cucumber, unpeeled, and cut into large chunks

1½ c. homemade chicken stock (canned, if you must)

1 Melissa’s shallot, quartered

2½ T. fresh lemon juice

1 t. fresh lime juice

½ c. plain Greek yogurt

¼ c. Lemon Basil Vinaigrette

Pinch Kosher salt

Pinch red pepper flakes

Place avocado and cucumber into a large capacity food processor fitted with a metal blade, and process until smooth.  With machine running, gradually pour chicken stock through feeder tube; process until smooth.  Add shallots, citrus juices, yogurt, Lemon Basil Vinaigrette, and process until combined.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Chill for at least 2 hours (the longer the better). To serve, ladle into cups or bowls and top with basil chiffonade, croutons, or drizzles of the vinaigrette.

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Spicy Cucumber Avocado Soup

As you may, or may not, have noticed, I took a couple of days off. It was much needed R ‘n R. I did virtually nothing with the exception of reading (I have now finished my ninth book), stitching (I cannot tell you, because it would be far too embarrassing, how many works in progress I have.), and watching British cop shows. I enjoyed this time off much more than I should have.

I didn’t pay much attention to the deck garden, so when I went out today, I was shocked to see that I had seven cucumbers ready to be picked. I brought them in and decided I needed to come up with a variety of ways in which to use them. Cucumber sandwiches were in order, to be sure, as well as a cucumber salad, and this refreshing chilled Spicy Cucumber Avocado Soup. It’s make ahead, and only gets better with age; it is so delectable and refreshing. It was the perfect thing to enjoy, mid afternoon, on this 96° day. 

Spicy Cucumber Avocado Soup

1  avocado

1 cucumber, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 Melissa’s pickled jalapeño, seeded

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

1 (8-ounce) container plain yogurt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 cup small ice cubes

Place all ingredients into a food processor, and process until smooth and creamy.

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If you prefer you cumber so more dilly than spicy you will love this Chilled Cucumber Dill Soup.

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Inspire Me Tuesday

Reader Tip Tuesday

Tuesdays with a Twist

Dream, Create, Inspire

Wonderful Wednesday

Whimsical Wednesdays

O My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday
Full Plate Thursday

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