The Best Soup You’ve Ever Eaten

We discovered Mulligatawny Soup in the late 1970s when we worked for CF Braun & Co in Alhambra, California. They had it on the menu every couple of weeks, and we always ordered it. While all the soups in the CFB cafeteria were delicious, this one was especially satisfying. Rich and hearty, it tasted different than any other I’d ever tasted, and I couldn’t figure out what ingredients made it so unusual.

I finally found a recipe and tried it. This version was close, but I had to tweak it a bit to get it closer to the flavor I remembered

Whenever I have a turkey or chicken carcass, I cook it down to make stock for this soup, and I often have some in the freezer for a quick fall meal.

In my book, Ghost Writer, Nan cooks Thanksgiving dinner, and Helen teaches her how to make this soup from the leftovers.

The ghost, Max, waxes poetic about his memories of eating it. So I hope you’ll enjoy making and eating it as much as we have over the years. The recipe can be multiplied. Here it is:

Mulligatawny Soup

In a deep kettle, sauté:

1 medium onion

¼ cup butter

Add:

1 medium carrot, diced

1 stalk celery

1 green pepper, seeded and diced

1 medium apple, pared, cored and sliced (I like Granny Smiths best)

1 cup cut-up cooked chicken or turkey

Stir in gradually:

1/3 cup flour

1 tsp. curry powder

1/8 tsp. mace

2 whole cloves

1 sprig parsley, minced

2 cups turkey or chicken stock

1 cup cooked tomatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

Simmer covered ½ hour. Serve hot.

Serves 6