Country Captain Soup

This recipe was given to me by my friend Rosemary. It's from Epicurious.com and was in the "Bon Appetit" March 1995 issue of the magazine. It was very interesting to me because right after I made it, of course I was taste testing it, and thought it was "just okay". I let it sit on the stove and cool for an hour and tasted it again. It was AWESOME! I don't know if anyone else out there is like me but, I keep taste testing the food I make in hopes that it tastes better. Usually, it never does, but this time it did! I increased some of the amounts of ingredients in mine, but I will give you the original recipe.

"This zesty soup is based on a chicken and curry stew popular in the South. The origin of its name is unclear, but according to one account, it was brought to Savannah in the early 1800s by a sea captain who traveled the spice route from India."

Yield: Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 large Onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped Red Bell Pepper
4 Garlic cloves
6 skinless boneless Chicken thighs (about 1 1/4 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon Curry Powder
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh Ginger
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed Red Pepper
4 cups (or more) Chicken Broth
2 cups Canned Diced Peeled Tomatoes with juices
1 large Granny Smith Apple, peeled, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup Orzo (rice-shaped pasta; also called riso)
2 tablespoons dried Currants
Chopped fresh Cilantro
Plain Yogurt

PREPARATION:

Heat oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic; saute' until vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Add chicken, curry powder, ginger and crushed red pepper; stir 2 minutes. Add 4 cups broth, tomatoes and apple and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Stir orzo and currants into soup and simmer until orzo is just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with cilantro and a dollop of yogurt.
(I omitted the yogurt, it just did not sound appetizing to me.)