Mulligatawny Soup

We were dining with our good friends, the Sundin's, when Shelley ordered this soup at the Orenco Station Grill in Hillsboro.  She thought it was wonderful and offered me a taste.  It was yummy!  Shelley ventured to ask our waiter if the chef would share the recipe, which he did.  This soup is now added to our favorite soup list.  It smells heavenly while it's cooking on the stove!  Don't leave out the apple.  You'll hardly know it's there, but it adds just a touch of sweetness that really makes the soup special.
 

 

Prep Time:  20 minutes

Cook time:  1 hour

Yield:   6/12/24 servings

 

Ingredients:  (quantities shown for 3 Yields - 6, 12 or 24 servings)

 

1/2 / 1 / 2 cups chopped onion

2/ 4 /8 stalks celery

1/ 2 /4 carrots

1/4 / 1/2 / 1 cup butter

1&1/2 / 3 / 6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1&1/2 / 3 / 6 teaspoons curry powder

4/ 8 /16 cups chicken broth

1/2 / 1 / 2 apples, peeled, cored & chopped

1/4 / 1/2 / 1 cup white rice (I use brown rice, and let it cook longer in the soup)

3/4 / 1&1/2 / 3 skinless-boneless chicken breast half - cut into cubes

Ground black pepper to taste

1/16 t/ 1/8 t/ 1/4 t dried thyme

1/2 / 1 / 2 cups heavy cream, heated  (I use 1% milk or evaporated milk)

Instructions:

1. Sauté onions, celery and butter in a large soup pot.  Add flour and curry and cook 5 more minutes.
2. Add chicken stock, mix well and bring to a boil.  Simmer about 1/2 hour.
3. Add apple, rice, chicken, salt, pepper and thyme.  Simmer 15-20 minutes or until rice is done.
4. When serving, add hot cream.

Anglo-Indian Inspired Soup

 

 

Merilou's Favorite Homemade Chili

When my husband and I married, I loved Nalley's Chili, and he loved Stag Chili.  We compromised on not buying canned chili.  I found a Betty Crocker basic chili recipe we found we enjoyed.  Over the years, we've gotten away from eating so much red meat.  I've experimented with substituting 93/7 Ground Turkey for the ground beef in many recipes, using beef boullion or beef base to add that beef flavor. Chili was an easy recipe to revise.  It is one of our favorite meals.  If you like your chili spicier, add more chili power or hot sauce, some diced jalapeno, or even cayenne pepper to taste.
 

Serves:  4-6

Ingredients:

10 oz Foster Farms 93/7 Ground Turkey (half of a 20 oz package)
1 large onion, diced
1 Tablespoon minced garlic (from a jar is fine)
1/2 cup diced green pepper
2 cups pre-cooked or canned small red beans (or your choice of bean)
1 14-oz can of diced tomatoes
1 6-oz can tomato sauce
2-3 Tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons beef base

Saute ground turkey and onion together until turkey is fully cooked.  Break up turkey fairly finely.  Add garlic, green pepper, tomatoes, tomato sauce, seasonings and beef base.  Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, uncovered.

Serve with optional diced onion and grated cheese.

Note:  I cook my dried beans in a pressure cooker without salt, so I use some additional salt.  I often double this recipe so we have leftovers for lunches.

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

We love soups - lots of different kinds.  When selling our Hillsboro house, our realtor, Barbara Nelson, made this soup for a realtor open house, and was lovely enough to share the leftovers with us.  It's been a favorite ever since.  I've made only a few minor adjustments to suit our tastes.

 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion (chopped)

1 (8 ounce) package mushrooms, button or cremini (quartered) [I half cremini mushrooms, then slice them in about 1/8" slices - Cremini's have a bit more texture than the button mushrooms.]

2 teaspoons dill

1 tablespoon paprika  [I love using smoked paprika]
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable broth)  [I use chicken broth.]
1 cup milk [fat free or 1% works fine!]
3 tablespoons flour
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons lemon juice [or more!]
1/2 cup sour cream [light sour cream works great]
1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)  [I just add dried parsley to the soup when making it, if I don't have fresh on hand]

 

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a pot.

2. Add onions and saute until tender.

3. Add mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms are cooked.

4. Add dill, paprika, soy sauce and chicken broth.
5. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Mix the milk and flour in a bowl.
7. Add the milk mixture to the pot, cover and simmer for another 15 minutes.
8. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper.
9. Remove from heat.
10. Add the sour cream and parsley and stir.

Garnish with sour cream and fresh parsley, if desired.