mushroom leek soup

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bowl of mushroom leek soup

During Great Lent we eat almost 40 days of soup.  Mostly, this is because it’s simpler to prepare our foods in this way.

This mushroom leek soup is one of my favorites – a hearty mushroom soup, made with just a few ingredients.  This is easy and nourishing and has many variations.

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Mushroom Leek Soup

serves two as a main course, with a nice big salad!

Ingredients

10 ounces of your favorite mushrooms (we just get the assorted pack with shiitake, cremini and portabello

2 leeks sliced thin, green and white parts

4 cloves garlic, minced

6-1/2 cups water

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Optional items:

1 strip kombu / seaweed

brown rice noodles

dash of toasted sesame oil

soy sauce or sirachi hot sauce to taste

you can use any combination of herbs that you prefer, like sage, bay leaf, oregano

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mushroom leek soup prep

 

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Preparation :

In a pot over medium low heat, add sliced leeks, salt, pepper,  rosemary and thyme.  Chop mushrooms and place in soup pot.   Let the leeks and  mushrooms sweat for about 10 minutes.   This will draw the water and flavors out of them.

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ready to cook mushroom leek soup

 

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Add garlic and water.  Place lid on pot and let simmer for 30-45 minutes.  This really depends on how tight the lid on your pot fits and whether a lot of steam escapes.

5 minutes before ready to eat, add two nests (they come bunched together and it looks like nests) of rice noodles to the mushroom leek soup.  You can take it off the heat and place the lid on, or continue to simmer.  They will cook either way.

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The final consistency I like is more on the stew side.

You can add any of the optional items or enjoy it as is.

Enjoy.

 

bowl of mushroom leek soup

pure repentance

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great canon Saint Andrew

“Like as the potter gives life to his clay, Thou hast bestowed upon me Flesh and bones, breath and life; Today, O my Creator, my Redeemer and My Judge, Receive me a penitent…”

Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete

Great Lent

The Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete is chanted the first week of Great Lent and

“is a real introduction to Lent, it sets its tone and spirit, it gives  us—

from the very beginning—the true dimension of repentance.”

Fr Alexander Schmemman : Great Lent: A School of Repentance
Its Meaning for Orthodox Christians

forgiveness Sunday

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Near Strasbourg France

“The Church is unity and love in Christ. We all depend on each other, belong to each other, are united by the love of Christ… Repentance is primarily the recovery of the spirit of love: “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another”

 

The condition for such real fasting is that we forgive each other as God forgives us—

“If you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you….”

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Great Lent: A School of Repentance Its Meaning for Orthodox Christians

Father Alexander Schmemann

all of creation rejoices

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German Schnecke

All the creatures, not the higher creatures alone, but also the lower, according to that which each of them has received in itself from God, each one raises it’s voice in testimony to that which God is…. each one after its manner exalts God, since it has God in itself.

Saint John of the Cross

journey to Pascha

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door to Great Lent

France – near the beaches of Normandy

“Repentance is the door through which we enter Lent, the starting point of our journey to Pascha.  And to repent signifies far more than self pity or futile regret over things done in the past.  The Greek term “metanoia” means “change of mind” : to repent is to be renewed, to be transformed our inward viewpoint, to attain a fresh way of looking at our relationship to God and others.”

Bishop Kallistos

The Inner Unity of the Lenten Triodion : The Triodion

zesty ginger elderberry kombucha

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Fermented beverages have gained much popularity in recent years.   This is mostly due to the rediscovery of their amazing health benefits. The thing is that pre-made versions at the store shelves can be expensive

 

ready for second ferment

ready for second ferment

 

In this way, homemade versions are often easier, healthier, and more economical to make.

We began brewing our own kombucha about two years ago – mostly for monetary reasons,  We were already buying it from the store, and a 16 ounce bottle runs about $3.00… so it just became more feasible to make it at home for daily consumption.

With cold and flu season upon us, this has become one of our favorite flavors of kombucha.   Elderberry is a great remedy to prevent colds, and of course all the lemon lends a good dose of vitamin C!

Hopefully you will like it too!

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Zesty Ginger Elderberry Kombucha

1 liter brewed kombucha (see recipe here)

1/2 – 1 cup dried elderberry

4 tablespoons ginger juice (if you have a juicer) or grated ginger

4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Place all ingredients into a clean mason jar and close the lid.  Because this is the second ferment, you will not need to worry that it will explode.  Let this sit for one to two days.

The color will change from tea-like to the deep purply blue of the elderberry.  Strain off the elderberry and ginger shavings and place into a bottle.

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 fresh elderberry kombucha

It should have the slightest little fizz to it.   We usually have a four to six ounce portion per day.  Sometimes I will even add a little water to it, to make it more of a kombucha-aide.

Enjoy.

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