Hungarian Mushroom Soup - The key is the Hungarian Wax Pepper

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

I have made this soup multiple times from many recipes, and also have developed my own Vegan and Vegetarian versions of the soup. The key is to add a Hungarian wax pepper at the stage where the soup is simmering. Once the soup is complete, you remove and toss the pepper, otherwise the soup will continue to get  hotter as it sits, and is also hot to eat. If you like spicy things, you may want to eat the pepper or leave it in the soup to continue heating up any leftovers.

Here is my personal recipe, which I usually alter at will, and don't measure exactly (see picture above, this is vegan style with cherry tomatoes added at end for colour):



2 teaspoon Olive Oil
2 teaspoons water
2 cups chopped onions
1 1/2 pounds fresh mushrooms (a variety of kinds)
5 teaspoons chopped fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried)
1 tablespoon  HUNGARIAN  paprika
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups soy milk (or other vegan milk), regular milk for vegetarian.
3 tablespoons all-purpose whole wheat flour
ONE HUNGARIAN WAX PEPPER
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon minced garlic (or to taste)
dash of hot sauce
ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/2 of sour cream or vegan sour cream substitute
2 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons flour


1. Heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan and add the water and onions. I saute this on low for about 15 minutes, as it really draws out the onion flavor.
2. Add the garlic, mushrooms, dill, and saute for another 5 minutes on medium.
3. In a large soup pot, make a roue with the butter and water. Melt butter, and add flour and whisk til it pasty. Add the cup of milk and cook on medium heat until thickened.
4. Put all the stuff in the pot, EXCEPT FOR THE SOUR CREAM AND LEMON JUICE. So add the onion/mushroom mixture, and the rest of the ingredients. Don't forget to add the Hungarian Wax Pepper. Just cut it in half, clean it and add it in.
5. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. I let it simmer for about 30 minutes.
6. Remove the Wax Pepper,
7. At this stage you can add some parsley for garnish, though I don't, sometimes i add in a cup or so of spinach, as this looks and tastes better to me.
8. Add the sour cream, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste!
9. That's it, serve it up and enjoy.

Here are some links to more organised recipes for this soup!


http://www.food.com/recipe/hungarian-mushroom-soup-from-the-moosewood-cookbook-135215

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/hungarian-mushroom-soup/