Soup for a Cold

I woke up a week ago with a sore throat. It has since moved up into my head. Last night, I came home from work and went right to work making myself a pot of soup, since I have no one else to make it for me these days. Pout. A bowl of this with a couple of beer biscuits with honey has been my dinner the last two nights. You'll want to eat it two nights in a row, too. Delicious! The soup is adapted from the Gourmet Cookbook and serves 12.

Hearty Goulash Soup

5 slices bacon, chopped

3 pounds boneless chuck, cut into chunks (or just buy the stew beef your store probably sells already cut up if you're sick and want to make less work for yourself)

2 tbsp. oil

4 finely-chopped onions

3 minced cloves garlic

3 tbsp. paprika

1 & 1/2 tsp. caraway seeds

1/3 c. flour

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

1 small can tomato paste

4 cans beef consomme (about 42 oz.)

5 c. water

1/2 tsp. salt

2 chopped green peppers

2 & 1/2 lb. potatoes, chopped in half-inch cubes

Cook the bacon crisp in a large stock pot. Remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon. On high heat, brown the beef, in small batches, in the bacon fat, removing each batch to the bowl when browned. Reduce heat to medium and add oil. Cook the onions & garlic golden. Add paprika, caraway, flour. Cook & stir about a minute. Add vinegar & tomato paste. Mix well. Add consomme, water, salt, peppers, beef and bacon. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on medium heat 45 minutes. Add potatoes & simmer another 20 minutes. Adjust seasonings.

Beer Biscuits

4 c. Bisquick

1/4 c. sugar

12 oz. beer (I used Labatt's)

2 tbsp. melted butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all the ingredients together. Put in well-greased muffin tins. Bake 15-20 minutes. Makes about 12 large muffins. Scrumptious with honey, really yummy even without anything.