Soups from a Montana lodge - Fly Fishers' Inn

Sunset, March, 1999 by Elaine Johnson

Thick enough to fill you up, smooth enough to sip, and right at home for dinner

As owners of Fly Fishers' Inn near Great Falls, Montana, Rick and Lynne Pasquale know how to warm up guests who come here for world-class fly-fishing. Their secret is soup. At the lodge, they pack a thermos of hot soup into the kits of anglers, to provide a warming lunch during a day wading the chilly waters of the Missouri River. Then back at the log cabin lodge, dinner begins with more hot soup.

Lynne takes pride in producing hearty soups that don't echo the meat-and-potatoes reputation of this part of Montana, such as faintly licorice-flavor fennel, double mushroom with wild rice, and sweet pea with tarragon, curried apple, and caramelized onion and shallot.

To serve one of these soups as an elegant starter, offer about 3/4-cup portions. For a main-course serving, allow about 11/2 cups of soup with a light companion such as grilled shrimp or a toasted cheese sandwich.

Potato-Fennel Soup

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 11/2 hours

NOTES: Chop feathery green fennel leaves and sprinkle onto servings.

MAKES: 8 cups; 5 or 6 main-dish servings

2 heads fennel (each about 3 1/2 in. wide)

1 1/4 pounds onions, peeled and chopped

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 1/4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and chopped

3 cups fat-skimmed chicken broth

1 1/2 cups half-and-half (light cream)

2 to 4 tablespoons anise-flavor liqueur such as sambuca or ouzo

Salt and pepper

1. Rinse fennel. Trim and discard stems and bruised portions (save leaves; see notes). Chop fennel heads.

2. In a 4- to 5-quart pan over medium-high heat, frequently stir fennel, onions, and butter until vegetables are golden, about 25 minutes.

3. Add potatoes and broth. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes mash easily when pressed, about 20 minutes.

4. In a blender, whirl soup mixture, a portion at a time, until smoothly pureed. Return to pan. Add half-and-half, and liqueur to taste. Stir over medium-high heat until hot, about 3 minutes.

5. Ladle into bowls and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Per serving: 271 cal., 37% (99 cal.) from fat; 9.8 g protein; 11 g fat (6.7 g sat.); 32 g carbo (4 g fiber); 202 mg sodium; 33 mg chol.

Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 11/4 hours

NOTES: Garnish soup with parsley.

MAKES: 7 cups; 4 or 5 main-dish servings

3 1/4 cups fat-skimmed chicken or beef broth

1/4 cup wild rice

1 cup (1 oz.) dried shiitake mushrooms

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 onion (1/2 lb.), peeled and chopped

1/2 pound sliced common mushrooms

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 russet potato (1/2 lb.), peeled and chopped

1/2 cup dry sherry

1/2 cup half-and-half (light cream) or whipping cream

Salt and pepper

1. In a 1- to 2-quart pan, bring 1 1/4 cups broth and rice to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until rice is just tender to bite, 45 to 50 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, soak shiitake mushrooms in 1 1/2 cups hot water until pliable, about 20 minutes. Squeeze mushrooms in water to loosen grit. Lift out mushrooms, reserving liquid. Cut off and discard stems, then thinly slice caps.

3. In a 5- to 6-quart pan over medium-high heat, stir shiitakes in 1 tablespoon butter until golden brown, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer shiitakes to a small bowl.

4. To a large pan, add remaining 1 tablespoon butter, onion, common mushrooms, garlic, rosemary, and thyme; stir often until vegetables are golden, about 10 minutes.

5. Carefully pour shiitake soaking liquid into pan, discarding grit in bottom of bowl. To pan, add potato and remaining 2 cups broth. Cover, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer until potato mashes easily when pressed, about 20 minutes.

6. In a blender, whirl soup, a portion at a time, until very smooth. Return to pan. Add shiitakes, wild rice with liquid, sherry, and half-and-half. Stir often over high heat until hot, about 2 minutes.

7. Ladle into bowls and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Per serving: 238 cal., 30% (71 cal.) from fat; 10 g protein; 7.9 g fat (4.6 g sat.); 27 g carbo (3.5 g fiber); 116 rug sodium; 21 mg chol.

Tarragon Pea Soup

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 45 minutes

NOTES: Garnish servings with fresh tarragon sprigs.

MAKES: 9 cups; 6 main-dish servings

1 1/4 pounds onions, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 quart fat-skimmed chicken broth

3/4 pound russet potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 1/2 pounds frozen petite peas

3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves or 1 1/2 tablespoons dried tarragon

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Salt and pepper

1. In a 5- to 6-quart pan over medium-high heat, frequently stir onions, garlic, and butter until onions are limp, 10 to 12 minutes.

2. Add broth and potatoes. Cover, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes mash easily when pressed, about 20 minutes. Stir in peas and tarragon; add cayenne to taste.

3. In a blender, whirl soup, a portion at a time, until very smooth. Return to pan and stir over high heat until hot, 2 to 3 minutes.