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

Beef Barley Soup and Beyond

Beef Barley Soup...and beyond

So I made Beef Barley Soup for dinner last night.  I almost forgot to take a picture of it. (I was so silly, I ate my whole bowl of soup before I remembered!  Fortunately, I could still pour another bowl...I was hungry enough for seconds.)  We had the soup with our favorite potato rolls from Aldi...so yummy.

I usually make the recipe on the back of the Goya brand barley that we use.  It is perfect.  This time, though I made broth from the bones from our standing rib roast from Sunday and the meat for the soup came from the bones I used.  Essentially making this a free meal when it comes down to it.  I had saved my vegetable trimmings from Thanksgiving and New Years and frozen them.  I used half for the beef stock and I'll use the other half for the Chicken stock I'll make on Monday.  When I make my soup stock I just quarter an extra onion and peel the carrot I'll use for the soup itself and throw the peelings in too. (My Mormor would be so proud of me 💖)

I looked on the Goya website and couldn't locate the recipe that has been there forever.  So here is a variation of the Goya Recipe:

Beef & Vegetable Barley Soup
1 T. olive oil
1 lb boneless chuck, cubed
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 t. dried oregano
4 t. beef bouillon granules
4 c. water
1 bay leaf
15 oz can veggies, undrained or 1/2 bag frozen mixed veggies + 1 c. tomato        juice or tomato sauce
1/2 c. barley
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and brown the beef.  Stir in the onion and garlic.  Cook until the onions are tender.  Stir in the seasonings and water.  Bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer one hour.  Add the veggies and barley.  Cook over medium heat 30 minutes.  Serves 4.

Dinner Monday is Chicken Soup...I'll post the recipe tonight!