Mulligatawny

The name alone is almost fun enough, but as a bonus the soup itself is colorful and delicious and fills all those wonderful nooks and crannies in your stomach that a really good stew should. The history of mulligatawny is hard to pin down, but it was an Indian food adapted for British consumption, so there are tons of variations.

I wish I could taste the Soup Nazi's, but this is ours, from our faithful Fannie Farmer cookbook.

MULLIGATAWNY

6 T. butter

1 diced onion

1-2 chopped carrots

2 stalks celery with leaves, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1 apple, diced

1 lb. chicken or beef cubes (optional)

⅓ c. flour

1 T. curry powder

½ tsp. nutmeg

dash ground cloves

6 c. broth

1 can diced tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

rice and sliced toasted almonds to serve

Melt 4 T. of butter in a large soup pot. Add the vegetables and apple and saute until onion is tender. Add remaining 2 T. butter, flour, curry, and nutmeg to the pot, and cook over low heat for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Finally, add broth, tomatoes, optional meat and remaining seasonings and simmer the soup for about half an hour. Serve over warm rice, topped with toasted almonds.