Question: The Trianon is a wonderful restaurant in Portland, Ore., which serves a unique Dill Pickle Soup. Do you think you could get this unusual recipe?
- Edwin Miller, Portland. An additional request came from Ernestine Sloan, Spring Lake, Mich.
Answer: Portland celebrates Cinco de Mayo May 3-5, commemorating the Battle of Puebla, when a garrison of untrained Mexican soldiers beat back Napoleon III's army in 1862. The festival of unity, ethnicity and multiculturalism is one of Portland's top crowd-pleasing attractions. Waterfront Park, along the west bank of the Willamette River, is transformed into a replica of a Mexican town square replete with south-of-the-border shops, arts and crafts, and jewelry. Popular stage events include the Ballet Folklorico de Guadalajara y Mariachis and the traditional music of Old Mexico performed by the group Rondalla.
Children can taken a swing at pinata bashing, imitate the clowns and puzzle over the magician's tricks, while the adventuresome will want to try the knife throw and the new carnival ride, Kamikaze. Everyone will enjoy the abundance of food, which includes cooked cactus, chili verde, pan dulce, cowboy bobs, funnel cakes, corn on the cob and many fiery salsas!
Harvested cucumbers are processed into pickles and dilled to add snappy flavor and crunch to a variety of favorite foods. Trianon Chef Otto Fennerl cloaks dill pickles and dillweed in cream, producing a richly flavored Dill Pickle Soup that is also a good dipping soup if you have French rolls on hand and don't mind a bit of mess. Hope this solves your dill-emma!
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RECIPE
DILL PICKLE SOUP
3 tablespoons butter
1 small white onion, cut julienne
1/2 cup white wine or water
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups water
1 1/2 cups marinade from pickles
4 large dill pickles, cut julienne
2 teaspoons fresh dillweed
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon poultry seasoning (more to taste)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
2 to 3 drops green food coloring
Melt butter in large stock pot over medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft. Add wine or water and simmer until almost all liquid evaporates. Reduce heat to low and stir in flour. Do not brown flour. Combine water and pickle marinade and whisk into flour mixture. Increase heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until soup thickens. Reduce heat to low. Add pickles and dillweed. Stir in 1/4 cup cream, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Taste and add remaining cream if a lighter taste is desired. Remove soup from heat and stir in green food coloring. Makes about 8 cups.