The Despereaux's Soup

Now if you have kids you probably can quote whole conversations from the movie to the word, but if not, you can take a look here:
The Tale of Despereaux

Kids love movies. Kids love food. Kids love movies with food in them.
But my kids LOVE LOVE movies with food in them, because I usually make them the exact same recipe as in the movie!
You can't imagine what it means for a kid to be able to watch the movie and eat the exact same thing they are showing on the TV!
It's taking watching movies to a whole new level, like a 5D experience!!!
And you can't beat that! :-)

So, I was thinking, why not share this with you?! I have couple of recipes I already posted that are from movies ( like Garfield's Lasagna for example) but I can make this thing a regular!
I am making the Ratatouille from Ratatouille movie, the Noodle Soup from Kung Fu Panda, the Pea soup from Harry Potter etc, and the kids just love them! Sometimes I even invite the neighbours kids and movie+food is always a winning combination!

So let's talk about Despereaux Soup.
Chef Andre is a genius, but I've watched him closely and I think I have the perfect soup, a true gem from the kitchens of the Kingdom of Dor.

The Despereaux Soup: A spring tureen with a melange of roasted vegetables and wild mushrooms.
( I even bought a tureen for authentic touch, the kids just flipped!)



You will need:
( Yields 5 qt-6qt soup)

4 qt water ( or chicken stock, but I prefer water)
3 cups diced wild mushrooms( you can use Portabella)
1 cup sliced white button mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup cut celery
1 cup cauliflower florets
2 cups butter squash
1 onion
1 leek ( the white part)
1 cut green bell pepper ( not hot!)
1 sliced zucchini
3 cups diced yellow potatoes
6-7 garlic cloves
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup Marsala wine ( don't worry, the alcohol evaporates while cooking, it's perfectly safe for kids!)
1 large can tomato sauce ( or crushed tomatoes for thicker soup)
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp saffron
2 tbsp olive oil
bunch of parsley ( you can skip that if you don't like it)



1. Set aside 1 cup diced potatoes, the sliced carrots, 1 cup sliced wild mushrooms and all the white button mushrooms ( 1 cup). You are going to need them later.



2. In a large skillet ( I used cast iron, because you get the best taste from roasted vegetables from there, but you can use whatever kind of skillet you have, it just has to be big enough, so the vegetables don't stew, but roast) place the 2 tbsp olive oil, spread it evenly with a brush. Roast the 2 cups diced wild mushrooms, 1/2 cup celery, 1 cup cauliflower, 2 cups butter squash, 1 onion,1 leek ( cut), 1 green pepper, 1 sliced zucchini 2 cups diced potatoes and 6-7 cloves garlic for 3-4 min, as you turn them around with a spoon regularly. Add the salt and pepper ( you can increase/reduce to taste.



3. After nicely roasted, the vegetables are going in a large pan to boil. You have to put as much water as it needs to ONLY cover the vegetables, aprox. 3 qt! ( see the picture)



4. Boil until tender, then strain and mash with a food processor. Add 1 qt water and the strained bulion to the mashed vegetable melange ( here you can add 1 tbsp browned flour, I didn't this time but I think it would come out better with it), stir well. Taste and add more pepper or salt if it needs. Add the can of tomato sauce ( or crushed tomatoes), the Marsala wine and the saffron.



5. Add the vegetables you've set aside at the beginning- 1 cup diced potatoes, the sliced carrots, 1 cup sliced wild mushrooms and all the white button mushrooms ( 1 cup). Boil until they are nice and tender, then 5 min before taking the pot off the stove add the heavy cream ( if you are on a diet you can use half and a half or plain milk, but do not use skim or reduced fat!)



6. Serve hot with garnish of parsley.


Yields A LOT...it depends on how big are your bowls, but not less than 10 servings, so it's perfect for a party or a kids birthday! You can serve it in a cup with a string of celery if you want too!

Enjoy the perfect comfort food!



P.S: I am trying to make the food from movies with the same ingredients they use in the movie and to make it look like exactly as does in the movie.

P.P.S: And remember, if you want to see a recipe form your favorite movie, just let me know! I'll make it step-by-step and post it here! :-)