The weatherman’s early prediction for this winter calls for much of the same we’ve experienced in winters past: a few snow showers, some rain and sunshine. Now that was a difficult prediction, right? One thing for certain though, temperatures have dipped enough that we yearn for a good roaring fire and an easy filling meal.
It’s the kind of weather that’s perfect for chicken soup, and hardly a week passes by this time of year without a pot of broth simmering on the back of my stove, filling the house with its warming, appetite-stirring fragrance. That doesn’t mean that our diet has been monotonous. Far from it, in fact. No two pots of soup are ever the same.
One of the best things about a good homemade broth - and I always have a bag or two in the freezer from a chicken I’ve cooked - is that it welcomes all kinds of additions. Sometimes the broth alone is allowed to star; other times, it slips into the background. It can be meaty with lots of chicken or thick with vegetables. It’s a lovely host for all kinds of pasta, from slim little egg noodles, to small soup shapes such as ditalini, orzo and stellini - those fun little star-shaped pastas. Or broth can take on a more hefty texture with stuffed dumplings like anolini, tortellini or wontons.
Earlier this winter, while I was stuck at home with my first case of COVID-19, the broth I’d taken from the freezer and thawed was just right for a nice, thick minestrone-style vegetable soup. It’s a soup I’ve made often and change each time, and on this occasion, I added some herbs I had in my kitchen window.
I always add several slices of gingerroot to the pot when I’m making chicken broth. If you’re not using a homemade broth, or don’t happen to use ginger as a rule, try grating a little fresh gingerroot into this soup for a nice sunny lift. Clove is a spice that’s often neglected after the holiday season and is another nice addition to a chicken-broth-based soup.
Feel free to add other vegetables as you have them and your mood dictates. A little parsnip, a cup of diced or shredded cabbage, a cup of diced zucchini, and a cup of cooked cannellini or other white beans would all be nice additions. If you just can’t imagine vegetable soup without tomatoes, add a can of tomatoes.
Keep in mind that every addition increases the yield, but that’s all good, because these kinds of soups are even better the second day.
Minestrone-Style Chicken Vegetable Soup
Put the butter in a heavy-bottomed 3- to 4-quart pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion and sauté until it’s translucent and beginning to soften, about four minutes. One at a time, add the carrot, celery, peas and green beans, sautéing until each addition is bright and just beginning to soften.
Add the potatoes and white parts of the scallions and sauté until they’re hot. Add the broth, raise the heat to medium-high and bring it to a boil, then adjust the heat to a gentle simmer and cook until the vegetables are all tender, 15-20 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt, as needed.
Stir the chicken and green parts of the scallions into the soup. If it seems too thick, thin it with broth or water, as needed. Let it come back to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is heated through, two to three minutes longer. Stir in the pasta, let it warm through for a minute, then taste and adjust the salt as needed. Serve at once with sliced baguette. Makes two or three servings as a main course.
by Anne Braly
It’s the kind of weather that’s perfect for chicken soup, and hardly a week passes by this time of year without a pot of broth simmering on the back of my stove, filling the house with its warming, appetite-stirring fragrance. That doesn’t mean that our diet has been monotonous. Far from it, in fact. No two pots of soup are ever the same.
One of the best things about a good homemade broth - and I always have a bag or two in the freezer from a chicken I’ve cooked - is that it welcomes all kinds of additions. Sometimes the broth alone is allowed to star; other times, it slips into the background. It can be meaty with lots of chicken or thick with vegetables. It’s a lovely host for all kinds of pasta, from slim little egg noodles, to small soup shapes such as ditalini, orzo and stellini - those fun little star-shaped pastas. Or broth can take on a more hefty texture with stuffed dumplings like anolini, tortellini or wontons.
Earlier this winter, while I was stuck at home with my first case of COVID-19, the broth I’d taken from the freezer and thawed was just right for a nice, thick minestrone-style vegetable soup. It’s a soup I’ve made often and change each time, and on this occasion, I added some herbs I had in my kitchen window.
I always add several slices of gingerroot to the pot when I’m making chicken broth. If you’re not using a homemade broth, or don’t happen to use ginger as a rule, try grating a little fresh gingerroot into this soup for a nice sunny lift. Clove is a spice that’s often neglected after the holiday season and is another nice addition to a chicken-broth-based soup.
Feel free to add other vegetables as you have them and your mood dictates. A little parsnip, a cup of diced or shredded cabbage, a cup of diced zucchini, and a cup of cooked cannellini or other white beans would all be nice additions. If you just can’t imagine vegetable soup without tomatoes, add a can of tomatoes.
Keep in mind that every addition increases the yield, but that’s all good, because these kinds of soups are even better the second day.
Minestrone-Style Chicken Vegetable Soup
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup diced carrot (about 1 large)
- 1 cup diced celery (about 2 large ribs)
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 1 cup green beans, cut about the same size as the diced vegetables
- 1 cup peeled and diced potato
- 2 scallions or small green onions, sliced (white and green parts separated)
- 4 cups chicken broth
- Salt
- 1 cup ditalini or other small soup pasta, cooked to al dente stage
- 1-1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
- 1/2 baguette or other crusty bread, thickly sliced
Put the butter in a heavy-bottomed 3- to 4-quart pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion and sauté until it’s translucent and beginning to soften, about four minutes. One at a time, add the carrot, celery, peas and green beans, sautéing until each addition is bright and just beginning to soften.
Add the potatoes and white parts of the scallions and sauté until they’re hot. Add the broth, raise the heat to medium-high and bring it to a boil, then adjust the heat to a gentle simmer and cook until the vegetables are all tender, 15-20 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt, as needed.
Stir the chicken and green parts of the scallions into the soup. If it seems too thick, thin it with broth or water, as needed. Let it come back to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is heated through, two to three minutes longer. Stir in the pasta, let it warm through for a minute, then taste and adjust the salt as needed. Serve at once with sliced baguette. Makes two or three servings as a main course.
by Anne Braly
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