Artichoke oyster soup

 
                           ARTICHOKE OYSTER SOUP
 
 Recipe By     :
 Serving Size  : 6    Preparation Time :0:00
 Categories    : Soups
 
   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
 --------  ------------  --------------------------------
    6      tablespoons   Butter -- melted
    4      C             Oysters, drained -- reserve
      1/2  C             Shallots (chopped fine)
                         (less -- to taste)
      1/4  teaspoon      Thyme
   14      ounces        Artichoke hearts -- cooked
    1                    Bay leaf
    2      teaspoons     Salt
      1/2  teaspoon      Cayenne pepper
      1/4  teaspoon      Tabasco
    2      tablespoons   Flour
      1/2  C             Whipping cream
   14      ounces        Chicken broth
    3      tablespoons   Parsley (chopped -- fresh)
           or            less won't hurt)
 
 In a 3-quart casserole, melt butter and saute shallots.  When shallots are
 translucent, add thyme, bay leaf and cayenne pepper.  Add flour and whisk well.
  Add broth, oyster water, artichoke hearts, salt and tabasco.  Bring to a boil.
 Add oysters and parsley. Simmer on medium, partly covered, for exactly 5
 minutes.  Add whipped cream and serve immediately.
 
  NOTES:
 
  *  Chicken broth with artichokes and poached oysters -- This is a modern
 cajun-style recipe that I adapted from a local convenience-food cookbook by
Jean
 Durkee.  It's an intriguing combination of modern American ingredients with
 traditional cajun flavorings.
 
  *  Fresh parsley tastes much better than dried parsley.  If the oysters are
 bigger than a small bite-size, cut them up before adding them to the soup.
 Use the smallest oysters you can find.
 
   *  When I'm not making a double recipe, I usually dump the entire (about
 1-cup)
 container of whipping cream into the soup, even though that's double what the
 recipe calls form.
 
   *  The timing on cooking the oysters is fairly critical.  If you overcook
 them,
 they will be rubbery.
 
  : Difficulty:  easy.
 : Time:  20 minutes.
 : Precision:  measure the spices.
 
  : Deborah Pedersen : Microelectronics Computer Corporation, Austin TX :
 pedersen@mcchi2.ARPA
  : Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust
 
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