by Nicola Murray
When I was asked to write this food post for the blog, I immediately thought of Liz Evans.
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Liz participated on her first Callanish retreat in 2001 and worked at Callanish from 2008, as “Wizard of Operations,” and as a cook on the kitchen team on retreats, until her untimely death in 2015. Liz introduced me to the Callanish kitchen in 2010 and since then I have had the honour of being a sous-chef, with many iterations of the ‘kitchen team,’ under the ever-watchful eye of Chef Carol. Carol puts an incredible amount of thought and care into everything that emerges from the Callanish kitchen!
Liz and I met on a Therapeutic Touch course. When Liz practised on me, she gave me the giggles and I knew we would be friends. We shared many loves: nature, kayaking, painting, ukulele playing, family, friends and food! We had a supper club on our mutual home of Bowen Island. We would take turns hosting and it was always a feast for the eyes and stomach. Sharing good food with family, friends, and community was a big part of who Liz was.
Of the many wonderful recipes Liz introduced to me and the Callanish kitchen, I’ve chosen the Mulligatawny soup recipe because it has been around our kitchen for a long time (originating in India in the 18th century!) and is always a crowd pleaser. It’s heartiness, nutrition and timelessness make it the perfect Callanish recipe. This soup can be served at lunch or dinner and can be vegetarian by omitting the chicken and using vegetable stock. You can adjust the amount of stock to make it more soupy or thick as a stew. Retreat participants often ask for the recipe, so here it is. Enjoy!
Mulligatawny Soup (serves 6)
Ingredients:
4 tbsp butter or olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
3 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
2¼ tsp curry powder (or to taste)
5 cups (1.2 litres) chicken stock
½ cup (125g) canned or fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 cup (180g) cooked brown rice
1½ cups (200g) diced cooked chicken
salt and pepper
Method:
Heat the butter or olive oil in a deep saucepan and add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook slowly until the onions are slightly golden and translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the apple and stir through.
Add the curry powder to the onion mixture and cook over a low heat for about 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and chopped tomatoes and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 10–15 minutes.
Add the cooked chicken and rice to the pan and simmer over a low heat until everything is heated through. (Alternative: before adding the chicken and the rice, strain 1–2 cups of the vegetables out of the stock, purée them with an immersion blender and then add them back to the soup. This gives a nice creamy texture.)
Season to taste with salt and pepper and more curry powder if desired. Sometimes we add a dash of apple cider to sweeten the flavour.
Nicola Murray joined the staff group in January 2022, as a Team and Community Supporter. She has been a much-loved team member since 2010 in our retreat kitchen as a cook.. Nicola has abundant creative talents and offers them to Callanish with such warmth and grace. When she is not at Callanish she is an Assistant Art Conservator.