I haven't shared any soups with you for a while, have I? I've been experimenting with a few new ones, lately--some worth sharing, some not. Today, I've decided to post one of the "sharing" ones.

Believe it or not, I had never made Mulligatawny Soup before a few weeks ago, although my memory of Chef Richard's version (at the Black Knight Inn in Red Deer) was mouth-watering.

Although I started with the recipe from the Company's Coming cookbook Soups & Sandwiches, I have altered it significantly to adjust for personal tastes, as well as to disguise onions from picky eaters amongst my children. I took out the flour and decided to blend it to thicken the soup, instead. I am not sure if the "true-blue" version is supposed to be thicker than this or not--but this tastes delicious, anyway.

Bon appétit!

Mulligatawny Soup
Makes about 8 cups.

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. raw, organic butter
2 medium onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. curry paste (I used 1 tbsp. each mild and hot to make medium)
3 medium apples, washed and diced
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
3/4 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. fresh-ground pepper
6 cups homemade chicken stock
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 cups cooked Basic Brown Rice
1/2 cup heavy cream (preferably raw & organic)

In a large saucepan, melt butter and olive oil together, then add onions and garlic. Sauté until onions are soft and clear, then add curry paste, apples, carrots, sea salt, and pepper. Stir-fry for another minute or two, until apples soften, then add chicken stock. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes until carrots are soft. Remove from heat and blend right in pot with a hand-held blender (or allow to cool slightly and run through a blender in batches, then return to pot).

Add cooked chicken, cooked rice, and cream. Heat through on low and serve immediately.

Goes well with sprouted-grain toast and butter or salad.

As a kid, I had the Hoyt Axton song "Fearless the Wonder Dog" memorized, thinking it was one of the funniest things ever. Thanks to the line from the song that made up this post's title, every time I think about this soup the song becomes lodged in my brain, somewhere right behind my left ear, for about 2.5 days. I was unable to find the lyrics on the internet anywhere, so here, to the best of my memory, they are.

Fearless the Wonder Dog
Hoyt Axton

Fearless the Wonder Dog is a very friend of mine.
He can't dance, he can't sing, but he will eat most anything.

Peanuts and popcorn and cracker jacks
and candy apples, too
Cinnamon toast and celery
and good ol' Mulligan stew,
Oh! Fearless the wonder dog is a very friend of mine!

Fearless the Wonder Dog is an elephant or bat
He can be a honey bee, or Honey, he can be a cat!

Lion or black bear or kangaroo,
Unicorn or deer
If you want to see him change
Just step over here.
Oh! Fearless the Wonder Dog is a very friend of mine!

*bows* Thank you, thank you!