Soup has been under discussion over at The Crow, so here's my contribution--lifted from Italian Food (1958) by Elizabeth David, left [links to NYT obit]."When Mrs David published her first book in 1950, post-war rationing was still in place and olive oil was only found in chemists in bottles marked “for external use only”. British housewives were making do with Spam, dried egg and over-boiled cabbage. David changed all that. "--from the description of the film about her: Elizabeth David, A Life in Cooking (2006, BBC); which didn't seem to do for her what Julie & Julia (2009) did for Julia Child.
This recipe is another thing I rediscovered looking through the visual journal (right) I kept while studying Roman History. The soup is wonderful, but I haven't made it since I drank up the bottle of Marsala I'd bought to make it.I've left the original measurements and put U.S. equivalents in parentheses.
Except the sherry glass--which can be anything from 2 to 6 oz.; its conversion depends on how much you like Marsala. I'd start with a 1/4 cup (2 oz.) for a subtle taste--you can always splash in more.
And an Imperial pint is only 10 oz.; I rounded up a bit.
MINESTRA DI FUNGHI (Mushroom Soup)
"The Marsala and the large quantity of parsley give the soup a flavour rather different from that of the usual mushroom soup."
--E. David
BECHAMEL SAUCE
(Béchamel sauce is just white sauce with a swank name. --F.)
Prepare the béchamel sauce with
1 oz. (2 T) of butter
2 T of flour
1 1/2 pints (15 oz., 2 c.) hot milk.
Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and let cook at least 15 minutes.
SOUP
3/4 lb. mushrooms
1 1/2 oz. (3 T) butter
garlic
a bunch of parsley
salt
pepper
a sherry glassful (1/4 c.) of Marsala
bechamel sauce (recipe above)
a breakfast cupful (1.2 c.) of stock
Wash the mushrooms, chop them up very small, and cook them gently in 1 1/2 oz. (3 T) butter for about 10 minutes. Then add a little finely chopped garlic, the parsley (also chopped), salt, pepper, and the Marsala.
After 2-3 minutes, pour in the béchamel, then the stock.
Let it heat thoroughly, and if the soup is too thick, add a little more stock or milk.
Enough for four people.
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And now, I have got to stop thinking about anything but the Netherlands--the ms is due in one week, and I have been dawdling.
