Ingredient Spotlight-Curried Cream of Green Bean Soup with Bacon

Here is a little something different to do with green beans.  This makes a good, light soup for a summer lunch.  Green beans, bacon and a little curry powder.  All good things.  The crunchy bits of bacon make for a nice contrast to the creamy soup.  Of course, 2 cups of any other cooked vegetable can be used instead of the green beans, so one can have curried carrot, pea, asparagus, broccoli, or cauliflower soup.

Curried Cream of Green Bean Soup with Bacon

8 slices bacon, diced
1/2 c. chopped onion
!/3 c. chopped red pepper
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 T. butter
3 T. flour
1 (13 fl. oz.) can evaporated milk, regular or 2 %
2 c. cooked fresh or frozen green beans or 1 (16 oz.) can
1/4 t. curry powder
1t. instant chicken bouillon
1/2 c. water.
salt and pepper to taste

Fry bacon in a skillet until crisp, remove to paper towel to drain and set aside.  Drain skillet of bacon grease.  Add onion, red pepper, and garlic to skillet and cook in residual bacon grease until tender.  Set aside.  Melt butter in a medium size saucepan.  Add flour and stir until well blended.  Add evaporated milk and cook over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken.  Remove from heat.  Drain green beans if using canned, saving the liquid in a glass measuring cup.  Place green beans and 1/2 c. of reserved liquid in a blender or food processor.  Blend until smooth.  (If using cooked fresh or frozen green beans, use 1/2 c. water if you do not have the liquid from cooking the beans.)  Add green beans to milk mixture and mix well.  Return to heat.  Add curry powder and instant chicken bouillon.  Add the 1/2 c. water if mixture is too thick.  Cook over low heat 10 minutes stirring often until soup is heated through.  Ladle soup into serving bowls and top each serving with the onion bits.  Makes 4 servings.  Good served with Ritz Roasted Vegetable Crackers.

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