We’re still in limbo on the whole quarantine or social isolation thing here. A lot of, too many, people have taken it as license to just drop it all and start partying, dinner-ing, walking around in the streets without masks, and despite admonitions from the government about penalties for doing so, it appears little, if anything, is being done. Numerous restaurants have setup outdoor tables, where people are sitting with their takeout food and eating (no waiter service), which is still, officially, not allowed. Although numbers of cases and mortality rate in Argentina as a whole are increasing, and rather rapidly, it’s in very specific areas, and here in the city things are fairly stable. The city’s mayor has proposed that starting next week, outdoor seating for restaurants and bars be allowed. We await the president’s decision.
I had a minor incident walking back from a delivery – I was snapping photos of “life returning to some semblance of normalcy”, and including some photos of people grabbing a bite at those tables (no closeups, you couldn’t tell who they were), and some guy took offense and started yelling at me for taking photos (he was in the picture, but part of the panorama, not the main subject). He actually called over a cop who was on the corner and demanded I be arrested for taking photos and “violating his rights”. Not sure on what grounds, and the cop just looked at him and snapped back with something like, “He can take photos wherever he wants, it’s public. You’re violating the quarantine regulations, so if anyone’s getting arrested, it’d be you. How about you sit down, go back to eating your sandwich, and shut up.” This didn’t sit well with the guy, and I walked away, leaving him in mid-argument with the cop while his wife tried to get him to calm down.
I promised a walk-through on Cream of Mushroom Soup, and here it is….
We have mushrooms, stems separated, chopped garlic, leeks, and celery, salt, white pepper, thyme, and forgot when I took the picture, a bay leaf or two. Not pictured, the creamy elements and a liter of beef stock (you can use vegetable or mushroom stock if you want this to be vegetarian).
In some butter, start cooking the celery, leeks, and garlic, and cook until soft.
Add the mushroom stems and cook until just starting to get golden.
Make a roux with butter and flour (100 gm each), cook it out until it’s just starting to brown.
Add a half liter of cream and whisk as it comes to a simmer, until thick.
To the pot with the vegetables, add the liter of beef stock, bring to a boil, and whisk in the thickened white sauce.
Remove the bay leaf and puree the whole thing. Return to the pot over medium heat.
Meanwhile, slice your mushroom caps…
…add them to the pot, bring back to a simmer…
…and cook for about 10-12 minutes until the mushrooms are soft. Add some chopped parsley to finish, adjust the seasoning.
And, you’re good to go! Quick and easy! And really delicious!
