Thermos Adventures, Chapter 1: Soup

Rather naturally I suppose, the first thing I made for the thermos was soup. Seeing as the original function of the Thermos was the transportation of hot beverages, I supposed it would fair well transporting hot soup.

I was feeling a bit chilly, so I decided to go for a warming winter soup: Roast chicken and mushroom. I had a browse around but could not find a recipe that was quite what I wanted, so I concocted my own. Here it is:

Roast Chicken and Mushroom Soup
Serves 2 + leftovers

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped finely
1 carrot, chopped
1 stick celery, chopped (in place of celery and carrot, I often supplement and/or substitute vegetables like swede, leek, squash etc)
1 tbsp dried rosemary
2 roast chicken breasts (or the same quantity of leftover chicken legs, thighs etc)
150g mushrooms, sliced thickly (I like to use little button mushrooms)
1.5 litres of vegetable or chicken stock (I use bouillon powder)
3 or 4 handfuls of breadcrumbs

Heat the oil in a large, heavy based pan (I use a Le Creuset Casserole) and add the onion, carrot and celery. Gently fry until lightly golden and aromatic. Add the rosemary and the mushrooms and continue to fry over a low heat until the mushrooms start to sweat.

Add the stock, and simmer (careful, you want a gentle simmer, not a hard boil). After 10 minutes, add the roasted chicken, torn by hand into small chunks, and the breadcrumbs, one handful at a time. The breadcrumbs are to thicken the soup, so you may need more or less, to achieve the thickness you desire. Simmer for a further 10 minutes.

Before serving, take a hand blender, and give it a whiz. This will give the soup a creamier texture and a lighter colour.

TIP: separate the soup into 2 bowls, and whizz only 1. This will give you a creamy base, but still some lovely chunks of veg and chicken.

This was DELICIOUS. I actually shocked myself with how good this was.

And, you'll be glad to know, the fiance sat down at lunch to a bowl of lovely warming soup. Amazing.