Hotroot Soup

When I was a kid, the Redwall books by Brian Jacques were one of my favorite series (in addition to Harry Potter). The stories take place in a world inhabited by talking animals - mice, hedgehogs, squirrels, moles, otters, hares, and badgers were among the "good guys," and stoats, weasels, rats, foxes, and cats were among the "bad guys." Each book featured clashes of good against evil (where good always triumphed, of course), coming-of-age tales, and lots and lots of descriptions of feasts and food. I always salivated while reading them. Over the years my friends and I experimented with Redwall cuisine: when I was in high school we had a "Redwall feast" featuring "Deeper'n Ever Turnip'n'Tater'n'Beetroot pie," (a mole specialty) "Daynurr's Zoop," (an original creation) strawberry scones, nutbread (still one of my favorite bread recipes), and sparkling cider.

Our Redwall feast

But my favorite Redwall dish is Hotroot Soup. This was the otters' specialty, and it is supposed to be very spicy. I can't handle spice too well, so I put in as much as I can handle. Here is my hotroot soup recipe, adapted from a recipe on redwall.net: (Edit: I made this again on 11/16 and have updated the recipe)

Hotroot Soup

• 1lb cooked shrimp
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes (or fresh, naturally)
• 1 15oz. can corn
  
• 2 tsp basil
• cayenne pepper and chili powder to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 cups water
• Vegetable bullion
  
• 1 cup brown rice

In a pot or rice cooker, cook 1 cup of brown rice (should yield about three cups cooked). In a large pot, add 3 cups water and vegetable bullion and set on high. Coat a skillet with olive oil. Salt and pepper the oil, then add onion, red pepper, celery, and spices and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until tender. Pour into boiling broth and stir in tomatoes, corn, and basil. Mix in the shrimp. Cover and simmer 30-40 minutes. Add cooked rice, mix well, and cook another 5 minutes to heat through. Makes about six servings.