Feeding The Addiction

A friend of our family recently sent me a recipe that she thought the person in our house with the pickle problem would like.  It's from Barbara Vethacke(my Lebanese mother) who got it from her soon to be daughter in law; Carey.  Larry is usually happy with whatever I throw in front of him for dinner, and I may hear "this is pretty good", but he doesn't go overboard like I'm used to in my family: "this is the BEST *insert name of food here* I've ever had!!!!" .  So, when I presented Lar with this, I knew he would like it, because, hello, it has PICKLES in it.  But I didn't know how much.  He LOVED it.  It may sound weird, but it really is yummy.  I served it with a nice green salad and a crusty roll, just for fun.  Making soup in the tropics sounds odd?  Well, the day I made it, it stormed all day, and with the arctic air conditioner, I pretended it was soup making weather. Try it, it's yummy!

ZOSIA'S DILL PICKLE SOUP  

8 c. chicken stock or broth
2 chicken bouillon cubes
2 medium carrots, coarsely grated
2 c. peeled, cubed potatoes
1 c. thinly sliced celery
5 coarsely grated Polish dill pickles (from the jar)
1/2 c. milk
2 T. flour
1 egg
5 T. sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
finely chopped fresh dill (optional)

In a large saucepan or soup pot with cover, combine chicken stock, bouillon, carrots, potatoes and celery. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook covered, over low heat, til potatoes start to get soft (about 10 minutes). Do not over cook. Add pickles and continue cooking about 15 minutes. In a small bowl, beat milk and flour til smooth and stir in a small amount of the hot soup (to temper) and add to soup. Bring to the boil and cook til slightly thickened. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, beat egg with sour cream til smooth and stir in a small amount of the hot soup. Add to soup and stir til smooth. Keep soup warm but DO NOT BOIL (the soup will curdle). Add salt and pepper to taste and garnish with parsley and dill. (makes 10 servings)

* I used lowfat yogurt instead of the sour cream, and it turned out great.  Also, I added about a half a cup of pickle juice, and omitted any extra salt.  I also threw in some dried dill, while cooking.

** Zosia is Polish for Grandma