Dragon's Bowl

The Soup Lady often publishes mail from readers who wish to share their soup recipes. This is the first time that a recipe has been contributed by a fictional character.

This recipe was developed by Abe Cohen, the main character in Dragon, the story of a man who turns his back on Hollywood for a more 'normal' life in Arizona. (Author: Trudy W Schuett ) I catagorized this recipe in the Real People/Real Soup section because I figure Abe is at least as real as food brand characters Betty Crocker, Uncle Ben, the Jolly Green Giant or Snap, Crackle and Pop.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dragon's Bowl 2 lb beef stew meat, cut in cubes 1 large onion, chopped 3-4 carrots, sliced 3-4 ribs celery, sliced 1 lb mushrooms, sliced 4 T butter or olive oil 1 bay leaf 1 tsp-1 T whole peppercorns 1 tsp dried parsley 1 tsp dried sage 1 tsp dried rosemary 1 tsp dried thyme 1 tsp-1 T salt 2 tsp instant beef bouillon ½ cup pearl barley ½ cup white rice ½ cup brown rice ½ cup wild rice ½ cup lentils

Brown beef in butter or oil, add veg and mushrooms, sauté. Add spices and seasonings. Add barley, rices, and lentils, in whatever combination you have on hand, with total volume adding up to about 2 ½ cups. Add 6 cups of water to start, adding more as the soup cooks depending on the consistency desired. We allow a minimum of 2 hours for the soup to simmer—this recipe works well in the crock-pot. Just dump everything in and walk away. It helps to sing as you add the herbs. ;>) Dancing is optional. This recipe also freezes and reheats well in the microwave. We freeze it in individual portions.

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Speaking of brand characters, I hear that Chef Boy-ar-dee is real. But has anyone actually met him? Is he, in fact, the lyricist for the Beefaroni theme song, which for my money, is the very best jingle ever penned for a canned entree. Do you know that if you Google "lyrics to Beefaroni jingle", you will come up empty handed? I will do you the favor now of printing them here entirely from memory:

We're having Beefaroni! It's beef and macroni! Beefaroni's full of meat. Beefaroni's fun to eat. Beefaroni's really neat. Hooray! Whee! For Chef Boy-ar-dee!

You're welcome.

Comments

[Kathryn Grover]

I beg to differ with respect to one line of the lyrics to the Beefaroni song, which I agree was a fabulous jingle.
I think the second line was, "It's made from macaroni."
So: "We're having Beefaroni/It's made from macaroni."
And, yes, Chef Boyardee was real. Franco American was an NJ company that begs to be researched.

[Beak Snot]

"It's made from macaroni" is incorrect. "Beef and macaroni" is the correct lyric.

We're having Beefaroni
Beef and macaroni
Beefaroni's full of meat
Beefaroni's really neat
Beefaroni's fun to eat
Hooray for Beefaroni

There is a little-known bridge to this song which I'm having trouble deciphering but begins...
"Tomato sauce, all sunny and bright"

Then continues...

We're having Beefaroni

Narrative...
"Chef Boyardee's Beefaroni has more body-building protein for lunch than most soups or sandwiches. And children love it"

Hooray! Whee! For Chef Boy-ar-dee!