Chicken Cordon Bleu, Curried Broccoli-Rice Soup

DEAR SOS: My husband keeps requesting chicken cordon bleu for dinner. I’ve searched all my recipe books. No luck. I hope you have one for me.

--LORRAINE

DEAR LORRAINE: We do. And good luck.

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU

2 chicken breast halves

Salt, pepper

2 thin slices Canadian-style bacon

2 thin slices Swiss cheese

Flour

1 egg, beaten

1 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup butter

Paprika Sauce

Remove skin from chicken. Carefully remove meat from bone without tearing. Lightly flatten meat with flat side of knife, or roll between pieces of wax paper with rolling pin.

Season chicken to taste with salt and pepper. Cut bacon and cheese slices into halves. Place bacon half in center of each chicken piece, top with cheese half, trimming to fit. Fold chicken over to encase meat and cheese. Dip chicken into flour, then into egg, then into crumbs. Let stand 30 minutes or longer to set coating.

Melt butter in skillet. Add chicken and fry in hot butter 10 to 15 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Serve with Paprika Sauce.

PAPRIKA SAUCE

1 teaspoon butter

1/2 teaspoon minced shallot

2 tablespoons dry white wine

3/4 teaspoon paprika

4 to 6 tablespoons sour cream

1 tablespoon meat extract or concentrate

Dash Worcestershire

Dash hot pepper sauce

Salt

In skillet melt butter. Add shallot and brown lightly. Add wine and paprika. Cook and stir until reduced by half. Stir in sour cream, meat extract, Worcestershire, hot pepper sauce and salt to taste. Cook over low heat about 2 minutes.

Makes 2 servings.

Each serving:

757 calories; 969 mg sodium; 260 mg cholesterol; 50 grams fat; 32 grams carbohydrates; 40 grams protein; 0.28 grams fiber.

*

DEAR SOS: I just had lunch at Happy Trails Catering in Pasadena, where I had the most wonderful curried broccoli-rice soup. Would you please ask for the recipe?

--BILL

DEAR BILL: We did, and the recipe arrived without a hitch. A good and hearty recipe it is too.

HAPPY TRAILS CATERING CURRIED BROCCOLI-RICE SOUP

2 cups chopped yellow onions

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1/2 cup butter

1 cup flour

2 tablespoons curry powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 quarts chicken stock

1 cup uncooked rice

4 cups chopped broccoli

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Sprigs cilantro, optional

Saute onions and garlic in butter in saucepan until golden. Add flour, curry powder, cumin, ginger, salt, pepper and turmeric. Cook and stir 3 to 5 minutes to blend well. Add 1 quart chicken broth and blend until smooth and creamy. Add remaining stock, rice and broccoli. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Add whipping cream. Stir to heat through. Garnish with sprigs of cilantro.

Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains:

422 calories; 1510 mg sodium; 73 mg cholesterol; 25 grams fat; 40 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams protein; 0.95 grams fiber.

* Mexican handcrafted terra-cotta bowl and triangular trivet available through Jordano’s, Santa Barbara.