Monday, Monday...Some recipes for this week

I remembered I had to make the Cream of Celery Condensed Soup before I made the Curried Beef Loaf for tonight's dinner, so here it is.  This is the recipe from The Joy of Cooking, Bobbs-Merrill 

Company, Inc., Indianapolis/NY, (1931) 1981, 23rd printing

Cream of Celery Soup

1 T. butter

1 c. or more chopped celery with leaves

⅓ c. sliced onion

2 c. chicken or vegetable stock

1½ c. milk

1½ T. cornstarch

½ c. cold water

Melt the butter.  Add the celery and onion and sauté about 2 minutes.   Pour in the chicken stock and simmer 10 minutes.  Strain the soup.  Add the milk and bring to the boiling point.  Dissolve the cornstarch in the water.  Add to the hot soup gradually.  Bring to the boiling point.  Stir and simmer about 1 more minute.  Makes 4 cups.

Lorri’s Hack for making Condensed Cream of Celery Soup

Follow the recipe but use 1 c. of chicken or vegetable stock.  When you strain the soup, strain through a food mill and process the solids and add to the soup to use as a thickening agent.  Also only add ½ c. of milk to the stock.   Continue as directed afterward.  This gives you a bit more than a can of condensed soup to work with.  For a standard recipe you will use 10 ½ oz. or 1 ⅓ cups.

So I make the soup before I make the Meatloaf recipe so it is ready to go.

Here is Dinner Monday...Curry Beef Loaf

Curry Beef Loaf

2 lb. hamburger

1 t. salt

¼ t. pepper

¼ c. rice

10 ½ oz. can cream of celery soup

1 egg

¼ c. water

1 t. curry powder

¼ c. onion

1 T. parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Combine the beef, salt, pepper, rice, ½ of the soup, egg, curry powder, onion, and parsley.  Mix thoroughly.  Pack into a greased 9 x 5” pan or cast iron skillet.  Spread the remainder of the soup over the top of the loaf.  Bake for 1 ½ hours.  Serves 6