Creamy Mushroom Soup and Aglio e Olio with Garlic Marinated Prawns

Source: yummy.ph & foodnetwork.com

I'm a pasta lover. Usually when I am out and not sure of what to eat, I would always, always go for pasta to satisfy the rumbling tummy. I first tried Aglio e Oglio at Hot Tomato in Singapore, its no fancy restaurant by the way (err... not that the name suggests, heheheh). We were brought there by a friend who was raving about their American Beef Stew. It was indeed tasty. After a few more visits ordering the stew, I feel like I wanted to try something different from their menu, so I picked from their pasta and grilled entrees and ordered for that pasta dish which I cannot even pronounce the name. Genius, so I let my pointer finger do the ordering, hahahahah! The aroma of the grilled king prawn on top of the pasta is drool worthy. The mushroom soup that comes with the combo is also good for a barely S$12 meal. Not bad! :)

For the Creamy Mushroom Soup (source: yummy.ph)

• 30g butter
• 30g onion, brunoise
• 55g mushrooms, brunoise
• 15g all-purpose flour
• 300ml chicken stock
• 90ml hot milk
• 50ml heavy cream
• salt & pepper, to taste
• finely chopped parsley, as needed
• optional garnish: 15g mushrooms, brunoise; 8g butter

1. Heat the butter in a heavy saucepot over moderate heat.
2. Add the onions and mushroom. Sweat the vegetables without letting them brown.
3. Add the flour and stir make a roux. Cook the roux for a few minutes but do not brown.
4. Gradually beat in stock. Bring to a boil. Stirring with a whip as it thickens.
5. Simmer until vegetables are very tender. Skim the soup carefully. pass the soup through a food mill or use a blender to puree. If you don't have a blender, chop the vegetables finely. You may pass the pureed soup to a fine china cup or through a cheesecloth if yu want it smooth, or you may leave it as it is for a chunky or more rustic soup.
6. Add enough hot milk to bring it to the proper consistency. heat soup again, but do not let it boil. Season to taste.
7. Garnish with cream and mushrooms sauteed in butter (optional). Top soup with parsley.

For the Aglio e Olio (Source: Emeril Lagasse for foodnetwork.com)

• 1 pound dried pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or your favorite pasta)
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 300g prawns
• butter
• olive oil
• salt & ground pepper
• 1tbsp minced garlic

1. Cook pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until garlic is lightly browned. Remove from heat. Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid, and place in a bowl for tossing and serving                
3. Add olive oil mixture and toss. Add the reserved cooking liquid if mixture seems dry. 
4. Place pan-fried marinated prawns on top. Serve immediately.

My verdict: Honestly, it's not as good as that of Hot Tomato's but it sure is very tasty! I personally love the mushroom soup though, heheheh...

Family's Verdict: A cousin, a niece, my sister, brother-in-law and mom tried it and they all love it! :)

***Tip: The 1 tbsp crushed chili flakes is more than enough to clear your sinuses so if you're not the type who doesn't like chili that much, I suggest you cut down the chili flakes to just half a tablespoon. Also I sprinkled a generous amount of Parmesan cheese on top for added flavor.

*** revelation: I didn't measure my ingredients for the mushroom soup, hahahahah! Everything was estimated lang. I also skipped using the food mill or even the blender to puree the soup more. I prefer the soup with a little texture. :)