Little child

Are you getting ready for Mardi Gras? Here in Thathouse we most certainly are. We've very excited for next Tuesday and have our plans already in place. We're going to be very tired Wednesday morning.

It may be hard to believe, but I've never been to New Orleans. I know, it's a shocker. Especially if you know my love for cajun food. Instead I know the best cajun restaurants in town and use my kitchen to fill in the rest.

When I saw the Creole soup I couldn't wait to try it. And what better than the week before Mardi Gras. And stay tuned for after the main event for the gumbo recipes. I'm honestly so thankful for the timing of these recipes given that it's been cold here. Soups are perfect. Soups with some creole flair? Even better.

Unfortunately, this soup did not live up to my expectations. It's bascially a tomato soup with horseradish. And frankly, if I'm going for ome New Orleans/Creole heat, I tend to use something other than horseradish. Cayenne, cajun spices, tabasco......The horseradish never fully got blended into the soup - if you look, you can see the little white horseradish dots. I would definitely recommend leaving it out and using cayenne or tabasco instead.

Creole Soup (From The Fannie Farmer Cookbook)

• 2 Tbsp bacon fat
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped green pepper
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 3 cups beef stock
• 1/8 tsp ground pepper
• 1 Tbsp horseradish
• 1/2 tsp vinegar
• salt

1. Heat the bacon fat in a pot, add the green pepper ad onion, and cook slowly for 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, then stir in the tomatoes and stock or bouillon.
3. Simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Strain and add remaining ingredients.