The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook (7 page)

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cup pearl barley

4
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cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

4 medium shallots, minced

4 cups white mushrooms

4 stalks celery, chopped

1 tablespoon minced fresh sage

1 teaspoon sea salt

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teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup vermouth or dry white wine

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cup sour cream

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cup heavy cream

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cup minced fresh chives

1. In a small saucepan over high heat, bring pearl barley and 1
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   cups of the broth to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until tender, about 30–35 minutes.
   
2. In a dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat, heat butter and oil. Add shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, still stiring frequently, until they start to brown, about 10 minutes. Add celery, sage, sea salt, and pepper, and cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Then, sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir until flour is incorporated. Cook for about 1 minute. Mix in vermouth or white wine and cook and continue stirring until most of the alcohol has evaporated, about 1–2 minutes.
   
3. Pour in remaining broth and increase heat to high. Bring soup to a rolling boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring every 5 minutes, until the soup has thickened, about 25 minutes.
   
4. Add barley and cook, stirring occasionally, until soup is heated through, about 7 minutes. Mix in sour cream and heavy cream until thoroughly incorporated in soup. Dust with chives. Serve immediately or let chill in refrigerator overnight and then reheat to allow barley to fully soak in the flavors.
   

If a garnish doesn’t come on top of your soup, you’re expected to garnish it yourself. With the serving spoon, spoon a portion of the garnish directly onto your soup. Place any other garnishes only on your salad or bread plate. Once finished, put the serving spoon back on the garnish’s underplate. And, of course, mind your manners and do not blow on your soup to cool it.

While this soup doesn’t contain cream, it’s nonetheless a filling option for the clear soup offering. Mrs. Patmore would likely offer this thin yet nonetheless tasty soup on days when heavy conversation was expected, perhaps as a way to lighten the mood in the dining room.

1
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cups barley

3
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cups water

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

2 carrots, sliced

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 teaspoon ground thyme

1 (10-ounce) package sliced baby bella mushrooms

1 (10-ounce) package sliced Shiitake mushrooms

6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1 teaspoon kosher salt

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teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. In a small saucepan, bring barley and water to a boil. Cover, reducing heat to low, and let simmer for 35–40 minutes or until tender.
   
2. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, then stir in the onions, carrots, and celery. Sprinkle in thyme, and sauté onions until translucent, about 15 minutes. Stir in all mushrooms, and cook for 10 minutes.
   
3. Pour vegetable broth into saucepan, and bring soup to a low boil over medium-high heat. Then reduce heat to low, and simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Stir in barley, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
   

Follow this lighter soup with the heavier Filet Mignon with
Foie Gras
and Truffle Sauce (see
Chapter 4
). The light soup will help prepare your stomach — and your tastebuds — for the decadent meat dish.

Chestnut soup, discussed in a popular eighteenth-century cookbook by Mrs. Hannah Glasse titled
The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Simple
, quickly became a staple in English kitchens. While this classic soup has gone through some changes since the mid-1700s with the advent of cooking-friendly technology like refrigerators and blenders, it would nonetheless be expected and enjoyed at the Downton estate.

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cup unsalted butter

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cup celery, finely chopped

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cup carrot, finely chopped

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cup white onion, finely chopped

6 cups chicken stock

2 whole cloves

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground sage

1 bay leaf

3 cups peeled and cooked whole chestnuts, crumbled

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cup amaretto liqueur

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cup heavy cream

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. In a medium-sized saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Stir in celery, carrot, and onion. Cover and let vegetables sweat for 15 minutes.
   
2. Pour chicken stock into saucepan, followed by cloves, salt, ground sage, and bay leaf. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Add chestnuts and amaretto liqueur. Let simmer, covered, for an additional 5 minutes.
   
3. Remove soup from heat.
   
4. Purée soup in small batches, being extra careful as the soup is still hot. Allow to chill uncovered for
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   hour. Then store soup in refrigerator for at least 24 hours so flavors really thicken.
   
5. Remove soup from fridge, and reheat in a large saucepan over moderate heat. Stir in cream, add salt and pepper to taste.
   

Thanks to the use of sage, cloves, and chestnuts, this dish goes well with any turkey roast. Be careful not to serve a meal that’s too heavy with this soup, however, as the dairy in this recipe already gives this small dish a solidity that other soups do not possess.

Even Downton Abbey has its cold, damp evenings, and with such a large house one is sure to catch the shivers now and then. Fortunately this thick and creamy soup is sure to warm up the most frigid of guests! Perhaps Daisy, after witnessing the dead body of Pamuk, would see if there were any leftovers of this soup available to warm her chilled spirits.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 clove garlic, minced

2 medium onions, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

1 celery stick, chopped

2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed

1 (32-ounce) container chicken stock

1 teaspoon curry powder

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teaspoon nutmeg

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cup sour cream

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onions, carrots, celery, sweet potatoes, and squash. Cook for 8–10 minutes or until lightly browned. Pour in enough chicken stock to fully cover the vegetables. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover pot and let simmer for 45 minutes or until all vegetables are tender. Stir in curry powder and nutmeg.
   
2. Using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth. Stir in sour cream, then salt and pepper to taste.
   

Downton Abbey was actually quite lucky to have Mrs. Patmore and her helper Daisy on staff. Thanks to the Industrial Revolution and World War I, new factory job openings lured many staff members away from their jobs at country estates. This in turn led to a rise in household management books, as many hostesses found themselves with inadequate staff.