Mushroom Soup According to Alice

Aardvark Alice seems to be settling in nicely here in the Israeli Kitchen. She trots around behind me as I do housework or cook, asking questions and commenting on everything. Husband has a soft spot for all animals, but the Little One has dark suspicions about Alice. She thinks Alice takes up too much of my time and eats too much. I point out that Alice doesn’t depend on me for food – she goes out to the park at night and licks up all the insects she needs.

Although she does complain that Israeli ants taste different than those of her native savannah, and I notice that she’s joining us at dinner more and more often. Well, she has very discriminating taste – for an aardvark.  Maybe the Little One feels just a bit jealous.

I mean, Alice is  only little, herself.

My daughter was scornful. “She’s greedy,” she said.  “She knows how to get around you. And she’s ugly.”

“She’s no oil painting,” I agreed. “But look, isn’t she sweet, really? Look at her eating her mushroom soup.” I gazed at Alice fondly; she was slurping up a bowlful in the kitchen.

“Mushroom soup,” said the Little One in disgust. “What next? Chocolate-covered matzahs, maybe? And by the way, how much is she supposed to grow?”

I looked it up online and got a shock. Alice, all  pink-skinned and wrinkly and only about 4 kg. right now, is actually still a baby. When she’s all grown up, she’ll weigh as much as 65 kg. (143 lb.) and measure 1.5 meters (5 feet) in length – without her tail!

Give one pause for thought, eh? I mean…our apartment isn’t all that big.

Alice trotted in, licking her face all over with her long, sticky tongue.

“Delicious,” she said approvingly. “Would’ve been even better with some chives sprinkled over the top, though.”

The Little One shot me a meaningful look. “Anything else?” she asked.

Alice cocked her head and looked up at the Little One. “A little shot of white wine, maybe,” she said sweetly.

Mushroom Soup of the Aardvark

serves 4 humans

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons olive oil

450 grams – 1 lb. fresh mushrooms, clean and sliced thinly. Put 4 aside for later.

1 medium onion, sliced

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 small potato, peeled and diced

1 bay leaf

1 cup water

3 cups of milk

2 Tablespoons white wine

1 Tablespoon butter

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, or a sprig of fresh

salt and white pepper to taste

1/4 cup chopped chives or chopped parsley

Method:

1. In your soup pot, sauté the onions till they’re wilted.

2. Add the sliced mushrooms and the diced potatoes. Stir and cook till the mushrooms have released their juice and the potatoes are starting to get soft.

3. Add the garlic and the bay leaf.

4. Add the water. Cover the pot and cook the vegetables over low heat till they are all soft.

5. Take the pot off the heat. Either transfer the soup base to a blender or food processor, or use a stick blender, but process it till the vegetables are blended.

6. Return the blended vegetables to the pot (I just take my stick blender to the whole thing – off the heat, of course).

7. Add the milk, bring it up to a simmer, and cook for another 15 minutes. Don’t let the milk boil over.

8. Swirl the butter in. Add the wine and the thyme and the 4 sliced mushrooms you put aside, and simmer the soup another minute or so.

Spoon out some of the mushroom slices into each bowl and sprinkle chopped chives or parsley over them. Serve.