Ask your mother or grandmother to write down one of her recipes and you might get a blank stare. At best, you'll probably hear phrases like, "oh, you know, I add a little bit of this and that," or, "I just mix it until it looks right." And as hard as you try, your version never tastes quite as good as mom's. But don't throw in your spatula just yet. Instead, give mom a run for her cookbook with these updated favourites.
Chicken soup
Ingredients
6 cups chicken stock, divided
1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium cooking onion, finely chopped
1 to 2 carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 celery stalk, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/4 lb green beans, cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup orzo
1 bay leaf
4 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring 5 cups of stock to a simmer. Add chicken breasts and poach until tender and no longer pink, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let chicken cool in the stock. Remove chicken breasts from pan and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Set aside. Strain and reserve stock.
Warm olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and saute until it begins to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add carrots, celery, green beans and garlic cloves and saute for another 3 to 5 minutes. Add squash, red pepper and wine and cook until liquid has evaporated, about 3 additional minutes.
Stir in strained stock, additional 1 cup stock, orzo and bay leaf, and raise heat to medium-high. Bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer soup until vegetables are tender and orzo is cooked, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add cubed chicken and chopped fresh basil, and simmer until heated through, about 5 to 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.
0 Comment