Mulligatawny Soup

This soup.  I have never made a recipe like this before.  The picture was a bit off-putting, due to the color.  But looking at the ingredients list, I thought, well, I like all those things.  So probably I'll like them together.  I bet.  It's from the cookbook that we got as a Christmas gift from a friend, the one without any allergens

so that was another reason I wanted to try it.  This was my first time cooking with coconut oil (I have made one dessert with it before but that's all), so I wasn't sure how it would behave, and it was a little weird (you'll see) but it all turned out fine.  Also, according to the cookbook author, this was the soup that Seinfeld really wanted and that the Soup Nazi wouldn't give him.  I can believe it.  This really came out so so good, and I was shocked.  I wish their was Smell-a-blogging because then you could smell how amazing this was.  My picture isn't as pretty as theirs and doesn't really do it justice, either, but here it is:

Mulligatawny Soup
2 tbsp olive oil
½ cup coconut oil
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp GF flour
1 yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 lg pear, diced
2 cups chopped cooked turkey or chicken
¼ cup curry powder
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 ½ cups long grain white rice
8 cups chicken or turkey broth
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk/cream, plus more for serving
kosher salt
fresh parsley & pomegranate seeds for serving, (Optional)

In a large heavy pot, heat the olive oil and coconut oil over medium heat.  Add the tomato paste and flour and stir until smooth.  Cook for 2 minutes. (this looked too lumpy to me, but I proceeded)

Stir the onion into the mixture, then add the carrots and celery and cook for 3-4 minutes.  Add the pear and cook for 2-3 minutes more. (again, the tomato paste seemed too clumpy, like it never incorporated...but I kept going)

Add the turkey/chicken, curry powder, and thyme, and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes.  (it kind of incorporated at this point...so that was good)

Add the rice and broth and stir well. 

Bring to a light boil, then cover the pot.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. 

Stir in the coconut cream/milk. 

Season with salt and serve hot, with an extra dollop of coconut cream, parsley, and pomegranate seeds if desired (I didn't haha...).

Ok so I didn't use the pomegranate seeds, because they seemed an expensive addition when I knew the kids (and possibly the husband) wouldn't eat them.  So I left them out.  It does make the soup look a bit monochromatic without it, so I can see why they'd want to add them in.  Also a note about unsweetened coconut cream: I couldn't find it.  I went to 2 different stores, and at the second one, I decided to buy unsweetened coconut milk and try to make it work.  Then I got home and googled, and guess what?  They are used interchangeably.  Helpful information.  So there is a thing called "cream of coconut" which you do not want because that is a dessert thing and super sweet.  But I bought the right thing after all.

Ok so you should try this soup.  It sounds like a lot of curry powder.  And, it is.  But it's not too much when you're eating the soup.  It's so so so good.  I'm sure you could tweak it if you don't want to spend money on coconut oil and coconut milk. But if you are dairy free, it's worth it.  It's creamy like a chowder, without the dairy. 

We had this with sliced toasted buttered GF bread that I had bought that morning from my favorite GF bakery lady.  Our friend who gave us the cookbook ate this with us, and he recommended we try it with flatbread next time, because the other times he's had a meal like this, it's always served with flatbread.  There is a flatbread recipe in this cookbook too :), so that's what I'll do next time.