Mushroom Soup, Preserved Kumquats

DEAR SOS: The best mushroom soup I ever tasted was served by the Seven Oaks Country Club in Bakersfield, Calif. Could you please get the recipe for me?

--MICHELE

DEAR MICHELE: It’s a typical homemade mushroom soup that is particularly warming on a chilly day.

SEVEN OAKS MUSHROOM SOUP

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup diced onions

1 cup diced celery

3/4 pound fresh white mushrooms, cut in halves

1 1/2 quarts half and half

1 1/2 quarts chicken broth

Salt, pepper

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Heat oil in deep saucepan. Add onions and celery. Saute until tender. Add mushrooms and saute over low heat 4 minutes. Add half and half and chicken broth. Reduce soup by 1/2 or until creamy.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Puree in blender until smooth. Serve garnished with chopped parsley. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Each serving contains about:

459 calories; 944 mg sodium; 90 mg cholesterol; 38 grams fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 14 grams protein; 0.76 gram fiber.

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DEAR SOS: I would appreciate a recipe for kumquats as a preserve.

--MARTHA

DEAR MARTHA: Jars of preserved kumquats make great open-house holiday gifts wrapped in pretty gingham wrapping and ribbon.

PRESERVED KUMQUATS

1 pound kumquats

Water

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons whole cloves

4 broken cinnamon sticks

Rinse kumquats in warm water. Sprinkle with baking soda. In bowl cover kumquats with boiling water. Let stand 10 minutes. Pour off hot water, then rinse 3 times in cold water.

Cut tiny cross in blossom end of each fruit. Place in cold water to cover. Bring to boil and boil 15 minutes. Drain, add fresh water and repeat boiling process until fruit is tender. Drain and set aside.

In pot combine sugar, cloves and cinnamon sticks with 2 cups water and bring to boil. Boil 5 minutes. Add boiled kumquats and cook in syrup until fruit is transparent and syrup registers 222 degrees on candy thermometer.

Remove pan from heat. Let kumquats plump in syrup at room temperature overnight or longer. Drain kumquats, reserving syrup. Reheat syrup to boiling. Place kumquats in sterilized jars and strain hot syrup over fruit, filling jars to within 1/2 inch of top. Seal jars by processing in boiling water bath 10 minutes. Makes 3 to 4 half pints.

Each 1-tablespoon serving contains about:

38 calories; 1 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.35 gram fiber.