Soup

"Many of the everyday dishes I made when I was raising my daughters are recipes I learned from my mother while I was growing up in the suburbs of Paris," writes Fanny Carroll of Eugene, Oregon. "She was quite a cook, and with a husband and seven kids to feed, everything had to be fast. It's nice that the dishes I learned as a girl are enduring favorites in my own family. I still make the carrot and rice soup for my daughter Eileen." A colorful soup that's smooth and rich.

Using shrimp instead of chicken in this recipe makes for an equally delicious soup.

This dish uses three vegetable-bin staples: onions, celery, and carrots. If you don't have any canned broth on hand, dissolve a bouillon cube in water.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

This is a delicate, light-tasting soup.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

Cooking the curry powder over low heat for a short time eliminates any raw taste and sweetens the spice.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

Pureeing half of the soup (including the meat) gives it a denser consistency. While most Hungarian cooks do not top goulash with sour cream, go ahead; it adds a nice creaminess and tang.

Fermented black beans are an essential ingredient to this soup. I couldn't find exactly the kind of beans Kunkhen used, so I settled for a prepared black bean garlic sauce, which was perfect and gave the soup the same earthy taste that Kunkhen's had. I recommend that if you are using black beans you begin by adding 5 teaspoons, then taste the soup for seasoning. If it needs more flavor, add more black beans. The tablespoon of black bean garlic sauce was perfect to season this amount of soup.

Adding the whole basil leaves to the finished soup gives it a super-fresh taste.