Too much of a good thing

I'm one of those people who actually think that you can NEVER have too much of a good thing, whatever that "good thing" is. Of course, this leads to complications in the kitchen, like the time I brought back eight quarts of strawberries from the farmers' market (I don't even remember what I did with them), or with people who find a six pound jar of honey "on sale," and bring that home.

I'd like to say I don't fall into the "flat of strawberries" problem anymore, but sometimes I do. I get carried away, and then at the end of the week I'm looking at bags of wilted letuces, or sad looking chard, or peaches that look like they've been in fist fights, and I vow to do better.

I never do. Sometimes, though , it REALLY isn't my fault. No , seriously, there are times when I'm not to blame.

You can stop laughing now, and read on. Or you can examine your own conscience and see if you are free from guilt (hey, the Pope is here. I can get on my soapbox if he can ride in his popemobile). One of my favorite purveyors had morel mushrooms, and as you know from one of the earlier blogs, I LOVE mushrooms. They were a good price too. There was just one catch: the smallest amount you could buy was three pounds.

NO PROBLEM. I was having lunch with a favorite friend, who has now retired. She, too, loves morels. So I could split them with her!

Then she cancelled. Now, is that MY fault? Hmmmmm? So I was left with three pounds of these beauties. I knew where my half were going, but now....

Well, one of my rules: when in doubt, make soup. So I made morel mushroom soup. And it's good. REAL good.

I will say that mushroom soups are one of those places where I can't help myself, and I use dairy. REAL dairy. Half and half, or heavy cream, as I did here. And it's something that maybe you don't want to use, but I like it.

This is a really easy soup. The longest step is cutting a pound and a half of morels into bite sized pieces. Then, you chop up about 3/4 cup of celery, and the same amount of carrots.

Here, you would add an equal amount of onions to your soffrito, normally. But if morels are around, so, too, is baby green garlic. And you should get some of that. Use it ALL, top to bottom, except for the roots, and chop it up about the same size (If you cant find the green garlic, use an onion. Scallions would probably be better. And you could use leeks, or ramps. Mix them up, too.

Cover your pan with half vegetable oil, and half butter (remember what I said about butter and mushrooms), and add your soffrito veggies. Let them cook at medium high heat ,undisturbed, for about five minutes, while you measure out a quarter cup of flour, and get your dairy, preferably heavy cream and at least half a cup of it. Sprinkle some salt over the veggies, and then add your mushrooms. Leave them alone, until you hear the change in sound to a crackle, from a sizzle. When you get there, stir them, and then add your flour, and stir it up. It will probably soak up all of the fat, and look lumpy. That's fine. Now add the heavy cream and stir the whole mass. You'll get a very thick, creamy mess that will remind you a bit of bad creamed spinach. This is what you want though. Add a quart of chicken stock to it and stir. The stock will break up the clogs, and you'll get a smooth, delicious looking soup. Lower the heat a bit, and cook this just until it begins to bubble on the perimeter of the soup.

And you're done. Unless you want to stir in a spoonful or two of marsala (dry marsala here), or perhaps a drop or two of white wine.

This makes two quarts of some of the best soup you will ever eat. I'm going to offer some to my friend Keith, who is moving into his own place and needs , I think, some comfort food to remind him that his friends, or at least this friend, loves him a lot. Find someone you love a lot, and share the soup with them, too. They will appreciate you even more, and you'll feel really good about sharing, and proud of your delicious soup.