“I’m a cat….I’m a cat…” I say to myself, exhausted, sweating and irritable.
“I’m not a dog…I’m not a dog…” I affirm to myself aloud panting and checking the time on the iPad and phone every few seconds. Frustratingly, time refuses to budge.
“WHERE ARE THOSE ENDORPHINS?!!!” I yell out loud. The gardener across the way just beyond my balcony looks up and I wave. Yes I’m talking out loud to myself…
I’m on the treadmill, a daily version of torture that I foist upon myself. It’s a cruel necessity and one in which the rewards are great (the very occasional compliment happily grabbed and remembered all day long) but the punishment is even greater. You see I’m not one of those people that loves to run about. I’ll quite happily lie in bed and conduct all my business from bed getting up only to eat (I have a strong aversion to bed crumbage) and then crawl back into bed.
I’m a cat.
Mr NQN is a dog. He needs to run around. He needs to be active. If he isn’t he gets all kinds of upset.
This is me on a treadmill
This life of eating needs to be balanced with some sort of sensible eating. Vegetables have fortunately always been my friend and I adore salads but come this colder weather, I fling away salads like grenades. I want soup. I want cheese toasties. And I want to be able to eat them while still fitting into my jeans. So my frenemy the treadmill is switched on every day.
I first tried this mushroom soup when I visited Ballandean Estate Winery near Brisbane. As Bobbi-Lee the chef’s wife placed it on the table in front of me she said “This is the best mushroom soup you’ll ever have”. She wasn’t wrong. It was marvellous. Rich and mushroomy it was also creamy with the distinct aroma of truffles. Requests were made for the recipe which the chef Matt furnished to us by email once we were back at home and when the weather turned chilly this was put on the agenda. I know, it’s not really photogenic but I dare you to try some and not ask for the recipe.
Because the original recipe called for 600ml of cream I baulked slightly given my new fitness regimen. I substituted it with some Philadephia cream for cooking that I was sent which has a lower amount of fat and calories and claims to not split when cooked. I had some truffles as well as some truffle salt although truffle tapenade can be purchased from Tetsuya’s range and I should think that in a pinch truffle oil could also be used. There are a lot of mushrooms with 1.5 kilos of portobellos but this makes a lot of soup. You could of course easily halve it and there would be enough for a bowlful for four people. But do make this because it is utterly wonderful and I feel very lucky to have been given the recipe for this to pass onto others.
The cheese toasties, well are just the toastie I always make with the onset of curly cold tendrils of chilly weather. I pan fry them instead of toasting them in the toaster and they are buttered on the outside rather than the inside. I have done this with all sorts of bread and cheese-it works with virtually any kind of both although my favourite is a nice sourdough, medium sliced as shown, with a lovely melty cheese-even a tasty block will do. The butter of course is non negotiable and I did barter the use of the cream for cooking for the use of the butter.
So tell me Dear Reader, do you enjoy exercise? And if so, any tips on making it more fun?
Marvellous Mushroom Soup & Cheese Toasties
Adapted from chef Matt Wells from Ballandean Winery
- 1.5 kgs portobello mushrooms
- 2x brown onions
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon truffle tapenade
- 600ml cream (I used Philadelphia cream for cooking)
- 400ml milk
- 20ml oil
- salt (I used Tetsuya’s truffle salt to add more truffle flavour)
1. Dice onion and garlic and sweat in a large pot on low heat until softened and golden brown.
My pot runneth over…
2. Add broken mushroom pieces (I just broke them by hand over the pot). Cook on medium heat until moisture in released.
3. Add truffle tapenade and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add milk and cream and simmer for 45 minutes.
4. Blend in small batches to get a smooth and silky soup. Season with salt and serve.
Cheese toasties
This isn’t really a recipe, I mean I’m sure you all know how to make a cheese toastie but once I pan fried them I never toasted them again.
- 2 slices of sourdough bread per person (you can use regular sandwich bread too)
- 1-2 tablespoons of softened butter per person
- Cheese to cover the bread
- a little oil for frying
1. Heat oil in a frypan on medium heat and in the meantime, butter the bread on the outside as this is the side that will be touching the frypan. Fry the sandwich until golden and then carefully flip over and fry the other side-if you’re lucky there will be some holes in the sourdough where the cheese will ooze out. Slice in half and serve immediately with the soup. Or late at night by itself for a lovely supper. Treadmill tomorrow.
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79 Comments | Add your own
What a wonderful soup! I love those flavors. Mushrooms were invented by the gods… ;-P
Chers,
Rosa
This soup seems amazing! It is warmer here now going towards the summer, but the last couple of days have been chilly so I crave soup again – perfect!
My boyfriend and I are laughing our a***s off with that cat video!! It’s hilarious!
Love the mushroom soup Lorraine!
Magda
Yum, such a gorgeous soup, I adore mushrooms!
Exercise has always been part of my lifestyle so I never have to force myself to do it. I can’t even imagine NOT exercising every day!
I don’t enjoy exercising but I have to… the way I eat, I better be exercising. The worse part is getting up and out of the house.
I love the colour of the mushroom soup! I bet there are those lovely mushroom bits in there!
That is how Canadians and Americans make grilled cheese! In a pan, butter on the outside. It’s delicious and far better than the Aussie version although I admit I do like the jaffle irons you guys have.
If you want a fabulous cold weather lunch I make a grilled cheese and tuna (tuna melt) with pickles on the side and tomato sauce for dipping (it sounds odd with the tuna salad but it’s fab.)
I’m a sucker for a fab mushroom soup.
We made something similar for FFwD – I initially thought it would be gross, but it tasted surpisingly nice. I personally hate exercise, so no tips from me I’m afraid!
This is an excellent meal to try on a cold day!
Thank you!!
That’s how I make my toasties too! I have just started using gruyere (sp?), and a dob of chilli jam on the side, so worth the little extra $.
As for fitness, have you tried any group classes? Since I started them, I haven’t looked back, with the music and the laughing (it’s a women’s gym)the time just flies by, I promise!
How spooky. I have been daydreaming about making this very soup when I get back to Sydney in June (although my recipe adds a potato to increase creaminess). The toasty is inspired – another great bread is Adriano Zumbo’s vege stick (a lesser known but no less yummy cousin to his macarons and luscious desserts).
Exercise? I can only recommend you get a (real) dog, in which case there’s no excuse.
The colour looks a bit erky ;P
I’d like to try a mushroom soup.
No I am not into fitness especially as I have a back injury, but I do try to walk around the house as often as possible. and I go to the indoor pool to walk, float and kick to help as well.
Mmmm, perfect for this wintery autumn weather…!
Yum Lorraine – this looks divine.
I’m a cat too – My favourite way to make exercise fun is to take the glorious coastal walk from Coogee to Bondi with a girlfriend so we can chat as we walk (I never jog)…I also love dancing in the kitchen while I plan what to cook next. Have a great day!
Dance! That’s my best tip. You don’t feel like you’re exercising because you’re concentrating so hard on not looking ridiculous and it’s so fun! I took up Modern Jive (Ceroc)
I am in love with mushrooms at the moment. I despised them as a child much to my fathers dismay but cant get enough of them at the moment. Do you htink I could substitute more of the cream for cooking with skim milk?
Dear Lorraine aka NQN – I love exercise (when it’s over). My son is currently setting up my new ‘cyberbike’ for Wii so I can pedal and play..hope it’s BIG fun exercise?
I enjoyed a superb mushroom soup at Warisan Restaurant in Bali a few weeks ago. Creme of mushroom soup, drizzled with truffle oil and served with blue cheese croutons – fabulous.
I find really good music helps me get through the time, or if that doesn’t keep my mind occupied enough – tv.
Chuck a movie or a cooking show on your ipad and treadmill away!
I’m a cat,and my partner is more of a cat then me. I’m trying to convince him to start a martial arts class with me
Yum I love mushroom soup and frying something in butter is much better than toasting it dry!
I love it Lorraine. I used to have a favorite place when I lived in the Hollywood Hills that served the best Champignon (Mushroom Soup). They had used a lot of cream. Good thing I walked from my hillside apartment and back… I love walking and find the treadmill so boring because I need the scenery to change. I’ve been a cat lately but longing to be a dog again soon! (I love both)
Aloha, love your cheese toasties, too.
I have had creamy mushroom soup many times but never with Truffles. I think they would make it extra good and luxurious.
I know your pain!!! I too am a cat who enjoys food. I have recently got a treadmill as well and I have an outburst of terrets syndrome every time I use it (which is daily). I hate exercise until about one hour after it is completed… But I do like being able to fit into the same clothes as when I was a teenager.
The soup looks absolutely gorgeous.
Tell me, Lorraine, did the Philadelphia cream work successfully as a cream substitution?
Also, I never realised how expensive truffle products are. How necessary are they for this soup? If I decide to buy only one truffle product to go with the soup, should I go with the oil, salt or tapenade?
Oh, comfort food at it’s best (and I do mean best, since you made it). It’s like the pricey version of good old tomato soup and grilled cheese. I like your cheese toasties better
As for exercise..like it while I’m doing it, but it takes me forever to get myself to do it. I find working out with a friend , or at a place where you can talk to people while you do the machines, makes it a lot easier. Plus, need good music!!
I am definitely a dog (female) saying:
‘Curiosity killed the cat!’
I haven’t laughed aloud so hard for ages! That black and white moggie was furious! Well, I LOVED the treadmill – now, with a bad back, I feel safer on an exercise bike. Go off planning what to do next or into a daydream or watch a DVD – niente probleme!
Loved the mushroom soup recipe – rather similar to how I cook it – but with my meagre purse ordinary mushies will oft have to do. The word ‘truffle’ also does not translate onto the plate!
Oh, is my maths correct when I count to four, Lorraine?
!
I actually love exercise. Just sometimes I really have to make the effort to start. Once I’m started I’m right and those endorphins start to kick in.
Good on you for exercising and getting those endorphins flowing (god I sound like such an exercise nerd)! I think the key is finding an exercise you enjoy. Hiking, swimming, or – for me – body attack classes! I love jumping around to music. Zumba is also fantastic – try that, it’s the best! So much fun
You need to find something you enjoy imo – so important!! & oh dear lord, this recipe looks amazing!! marvellous indeed.
Heidi xo
I’m with you Lorraine. I’m really a bed or chaise lounge kind of girl – recumbent is my preferred position, but one that I can’t indulge anywhere near enough for my liking.
how utterly decadent and sinfully delicious! Exercise is not on my agenda, i do walk from home to the train station and from the train station to work though each day…. anything pan fried in butter is marvelous I have to agree, and although i have made mushroom soup before (a winner!!), never before have i thought of adding truffle to it, i can only imagine the aroma and flavour .. will definately be “poaching” this recipe Lorraine ! YUM xxx
That’s got to be one of the funniest videos on youtube! Especially near the end where the kitty jumps! Hehehe I actually LOL’d
The soup looks absolutely heavenly! I really want to make that – will have to track down some of that tapenade here in Melbourne.
Nice looking toasties too – I can’t do sourdough toasted though, it absolutely shreds my mouth. I’m not the only one that gets that am I?
As for the exercise – I don’t do ANY at the moment – unless you count a 30min walk up the street to get lunch each work day. But I found that if I am exercising I need to be doing some kind of useful activity like learning something. I did Muay Thai for two years and that was really fun because you’re getting fit and learning to defend yourself. I’d like to do swing dancing too if only to somehow get over my uncoordination. Mindless gym exercise never really did it for me. When I did go it was always with my boyfriend so it was something to do together. I dont like doing any of that alone. It’s so boring!!
I am a CAT. MEeeeow.
The best exercise for me is “walking” with girlfriends, of course, & solving the problems of the Universe.
PS. The Mushroom soup looks heavenly mushrooomy creamy smoothly silky……..etc….
Oh god truffles and mushroom sound absolutely delicious, especially at the end of a cold cold day! It might be a bit tough for me to get truffle tapenade where I’m at, but I’ll see what I can do cos I do so love mushroom soup!
And I’m pretty much a cat on the treadmill – that’s why I force myself to run to the supermarket to get groceries instead of driving there ;p
Perfect winter food, yum!
love mushromm soup, glad you cut back on the cream..I loathe the threadmill, but I adore eating..the price we pay!lol
sweetlife
@ EsZ – half-an-hour walk five times a week is nearly enough to start off! And you have other fave activities in which your body moves. You DO exercise, sufficiently and in your own fashion – and that is all that is required! Most of us would not know what ‘Muay Thai’ is!! Go to it, girlfriend!
Well I’m converted to your style of toastie
I’m now planning a minestrone to go with a toastie.
Exercise, I’ve never enjoyed going to the gym, I’ve got an aversion to people in lycra but happy to go for a walk with some great music on the ipod or a great friend to have a natter with. We’ve got a great coastal walk that is only 5 minutes away.
You can’t beat a good toastie … Oh yes you can, serve it with truffled mushroom soup!
Lovely idea with the tapenade. Will give it a go.
Bring on the winter toasties!
I love mushroom soup – this is a great version (good substitute with the Philly cream for cooking). I’m going to give it a try! thx Lorraine!
You so need a thermomix Loraine! Can we talk?? hahaha
I’m obsessed with mushrooms at the moment so this soup is a winner in my books.
I wouldn’t say I love exercise but sometimes it’s fun. It’s most fun when it’s over though!
I love mushrooms but can’t cook them as my youngest daughter can’t even stand the smell of them cooking. Will just have to try this recipe once she has left on her European holiday end of June.
Exercise for me is a necessary evil because I breathe , eat, sleep food and it has a nasty habit of ‘hanging ‘ round my hips if I don’t do at least some form of it. Mind you it’s a great feeling after you’ve finished because you know that you’re doing your body a great service .
On a different note, put your hands up if you’re excited that Masterchef is back on!!!! My daughters keep telling me to become a contestant, as a teenager it was the ultimate dream , if only it had been on back then I would have jumped at the chance
Those cats are so cute!! I HATE exercise…the only way I can make it bearable is to watch some trashy tv at the same time so the time goes by quicker!
Given how the monsoon rains have begun to fall in this part of Asia, I’ll be running off to the grocery to pick up mushrooms and truffle paste soon. Your recipe would be the perfect way to warm up on cold rainy days!
I used to exercise, but then my toe issues happened and I simply can’t find the old motivation anymore. Cheese and mushroom me instead, please!
Mushroom soup looks fantastic. Tetsuya’s truffle salt was a brilliant addition.
I found Curves was the answer to my boredom with exercising – 30 minutes and you’ve done the whole circuit. That’s long enough for me, together with a walk each day.
I hate excercise. I don’t mind walking here through the gorgeous hills and the fabulous shopping streets. I poromise to make this soup when I get home.
The soup looks utterly divine and one I will definitely be trying out this winter – I just LOVE truffles.
On the exercise front, I find doing classes is the only way to make it fun. That way the only real challenge is getting yourself there.
Also, make friends with people in the class, it’ll give you an extra reason for going.
Hope to have helped.
Olive
I think we may be polar opposites Lorraine – I am much more excited about running than eating! To the point where my husband and I ran an ultra marathon to celebrate our wedding anniversary. All that running does make you hungry though, and I LOVE mushrooms so will give this soup a try. I might be slightly pathetic though and substitute low fat evaporated milk for the cream!
Tenina, I googled Thermomix after you mentioned it and I have to say that I’m intrigued. It cooks and prepares food, and even cleans itself? Now I want one for myself!
This reminds me of the yummy Coon cheese toastie I had at the Easter show with a friend. It was sooo good. With sourdough is a dream mmm
Oh, how I laughed at that cat vid – I wonder how they’d react at a sushi train??
Love your mushroom soup; the colour is wonderful and I’ve love a tureen of this right now.
I am with you Lorraine, love food and cooking,and nice wine and a smart cocktail. Counteract it with half hour walk to the station every morning, then city to Pyrmont walk and then 1 hour gym after work – cardio, abs and weights.
it is just non-negotiable to me. My friends think I am mad going to the gym later in the evening, but I have to. I am not ready to be overweight and 40. Plus I love fashion a lot and need to fit into my fabbo 50s style dresses.
I love it. It has cured my depression and self esteem issues too. So keep at it. It is soooooo worth it.
I hate exercise (and bed crumbage) as much as you Lorraine! I’ve taken to yoga as the arms get strong with little sweat. I don’t like pain!
ugh, exercise! a horrid and yet necessary evil.. haha. good on you for running every day! i find it really hard to get on the treadmill…
man this mushroom soup looks ahmaaaazing. finally a reason to get Tetsuya’s truffle tapenade.. i was wondering what else you could use it for aside from his amazing truffle butter.. that stuff is to die for.
“Frenenemy”? Have you been hitting the sauce again? Love the photo of the upside down ‘shrooms. YUM! And those cat vids were funny. They sure did slap that thing hard. “Snowball” is like my cat. Her name was Snowball when we first got her,12 years ago. I renamed her Squeek Toy… and sometimes it’s “no-no,bad kitty”. She is bonkers.And I’m going to make this outrageous soup. Thanks for sharing,Lorraine.
oh when it comes to exercise I am definitely a cat too – though not as much as E. I think my best exercise was when I could ride to work regularly because I could see it as transport rather than exercise – good luck with the jeans – have been thinking similar thoughts about my jeans lately
You two must be so cute together! I will say that this soup looks incredibly good and I am now craving the cheese toast
I’m with you Lorraine, its soup season & this one sounds fantastic. The video of the cats cracked me up
Lorraine I am definitely a cat too! I’m all about doing business from the comfort of my bed, although I do actually enjoy exercise once I get started. I find whenever I have a trainer or coach I’m always more motivated. Have you tried boxing or kickboxing – really great for you and a perfect form of stress release!
I made mushroom soup recently too but yours looks so much better. Mine was way too smooth.
I always hated exercising until I got my Kindle. Now I can happily read and keep learning stuff while keeping up a steady pace on the elliptical machine. Reading circumvents the inevitable boredom and makes the time and calories fly by.
Oh I am definitely making this soup this weekend! I really don’t like exercising but have to in order to be able to eat what I like, I did treadmill for a couple of years but have recently discovered that a crosstrainer (arms and legs) is much easier on the legs and knees and gives just as good a cardio workout!
I adore mushrooms in any shape and form and soups with cheese toasties sound great
haha sadly I am a dog, I love running! 
Your mushroom soup looks truly heart-warming. The truffle oil and tapenade adds that bit of decadence
Lol, Lorraine we really are such kindred souls! I’m very cat-like too and I dread my daily dose of treadmill torture as well.
On the bright side though, love the soup and toasties!
I dont love exercize, I so wish I could get myself to like it, but I do it anyway, because i feel bad about myself if i dont.
Beautiful soup, and decadent toast.
*kisses* HH
God you make me laugh. That’s exactly how I feel about the treadmill- but it’s the penance that must be paid for a love of all that is good. Watching something ridiculous is usually enough to get me through. At the moment I’m giggling my way through ‘Community’. It helps me forget the pain.
Wow, this is a very luxurious mushroom soup! I am sure it tastes heaven!
Awww I loooooove anything mushrooms and i’ve already made mushy soup in the past month or so with the colder weather. Will be sure to try yours too…
I’m certainly more of a dog lover than cat, but that video was a crack up. Have you seen this one? I’ve seen it a million times but it makes me laugh each time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-j7OhI5V2s
LOL at the cat video
I am most definitely a cat as well. I do 2 types of exercise: 1 that I enjoy but it’s not really enough to keep off the cupcakes (dancing), and the other is kinda torturous but must be done (PT, weights, cardio).
This mushroom soup looks delicious, and I like that you’ve substituted the cream
The mushroom soup sounds wonderful with truffles, and cheese toasties must be super delicious with it!
Oooh truffles!
I think the cats and I would enjoy watching a treadmill like that one if it bought nice little trays of food along on it to us- a bit like sushi train!
I am just like you, I hate exercising. I have been running now three times a week at 6AM (the only timeo f the day im not in the office or with kids – I hate the thought of going to the gym after dinner when the kids are in bed even more than getting up early before getting to the office at 7.15) because I was desperate to lose some weight. Dieting is not an option obviously for those like us! And the only reason I manage to stick with it is that odd compliment about my weight loss hehe, just like you.
I’ve been waiting for this recipe like nobody’s business! But I don’t have a stick blender!
Great receipe for this time of the year. Have you tried cooking the mushrooms sous vide with sauteed garlic and onions before cooking in milk and oil? It will be even tastier and add a different depth if you try this with a combination of mushrooms.
i used to be a dog, but i’ve morphed into a cat somewhere along the way. i now view treadmills as satan’s instruments. one never gets anywhere–how frustrating to do all the work and get nowhere!
sigh. great soup.
gasp.
i love mushrooms. i love truffles. mushroom soup is one of my favorite soups ever. EVER.
also, like you, i am a total cat. that video was hilarious.
Lorraine what exactly is a “exercise” I can’t say I have ever herd of such madness!
I’m a cat too – eat, groom, sleep in any order is fine for me.
Mushroom soup has to be an all time favorite warmer, and the truffle flavor always gives me the feeling of being sinful but without so much guilt!
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