Not long before Jay passed away we were playing cribbage with our friends the Hogans. Jay was being affected by the large quantities of morphine that he was taking and not everything he said seemed connected to the situation at hand. Out of the blue he said, "Dill pickle soup". We all laughed, including him. I said, "Jay there's no such thing as dill pickle soup". However, I quickly checked it out on the Internet, and you know what? There is such a thing!
A couple of weeks after Jay passed away, I was playing cribbage again with the Hogans. The Food Network was on the TV in the background. The Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives program began featuring a Polish café. Guess what recipe they were reviewing? Yep, dill pickle soup! We burst into laughter again, feeling that we had just been 'visited' by Jay.
I checked out the recipe that was used in that café and I didn't really like the sound of it. While I used it as a reference, my own version shown here is substantially different.
DILL PICKLE SOUP
1/3 c. celery minced 1/2 c. onion chopped
1/3 c. onion chopped 2 c. water
1 clove garlic minced 1 c. dill pickles chopped
2 T. olive oil 1/4 c. pickle juice
2 chicken bouillion cubes 1 can evaporated milk
1 qt. chicken stock 1 c. sour cream
2 c. carrots chopped salt and pepper
6 c. potatoes cubed dill slices to garnish
Saute celery and 1/3 cup onion in olive oil in a large pot until tender. Add garlic and saute 2 minutes longer. Add bouillion, stock, and carrots. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook 10 minutes. Add potatoes, 1/2 c. onion, and water to pot and return to boil then reduce to simmer 10 more minutes. Add dill pickles, juice and milk. Simmer until vegetables are done. Remove from heat and add sour cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish bowls of soup with dill slices.
The dill pickles and sour cream add a nice tang to this recipe. I think now that I would probably add a litttle bit of fresh thyme at the point where the carrots go in the pot, and maybe a sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg at the very end of cooking. Oh well there is always a next time. I know this much---I will never be able to look at a dill pickle the same way!
Saute celery and 1/3 cup onion in olive oil in a large pot until tender. Add garlic and saute 2 minutes longer. Add bouillion, stock, and carrots. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook 10 minutes. Add potatoes, 1/2 c. onion, and water to pot and return to boil then reduce to simmer 10 more minutes. Add dill pickles, juice and milk. Simmer until vegetables are done. Remove from heat and add sour cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish bowls of soup with dill slices.
The dill pickles and sour cream add a nice tang to this recipe. I think now that I would probably add a litttle bit of fresh thyme at the point where the carrots go in the pot, and maybe a sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg at the very end of cooking. Oh well there is always a next time. I know this much---I will never be able to look at a dill pickle the same way!
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