Chicken and Dumplings

Tags

carrot, celery, chicken, dumplings, onion, soup, stew

The time change is this weekend, which means that spring is nearly upon us. Yet I’m still making soup, and I will continue probably through summer! But at least this soup isn’t a super heavy one, so it could work even in summer! I did make some tweaks to it, though, which is bound to happen after making it 3 times in a couple months. 🙂 The first time I tried making chicken and dumplings, it came out bland and not very good at all. I just assumed that’s how all chicken and dumplings must be, but boy was I wrong! This has definitely come to be one of my favorite soups (or stews… whatever you want to consider it), and I’m so glad I gave chicken and dumplings another chance.

Since I love to have leftovers, I found I needed to up the chicken broth or else it all got absorbed while sitting in the frig. And it never hurts to have some more broth in your soup! My husband and I also found the dumplings in the original recipe to taste a little off, so I went with my own favorite dumpling recipe. Of course, if you have your own, go ahead and use it. It will only make the soup taste that much better!Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken Stew:
3 pounds bone-in chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 small onions, chopped fine
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 3/4‑inch pieces
1 celery rib, chopped fine
¼ cup dry sherry
7 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Dumplings:
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons melted butter
¾ cup milk

To make the stew: Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken thighs, skin side down, and cook until skin is well browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Using tongs, flip chicken pieces and brown on second side, 5 to 7 minutes longer; transfer to large plate. Discard all but 1 teaspoon fat from pot.

Add onions, carrots, and celery to now-empty pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 7 to 9 minutes. Deglaze the pan with sherry, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot; stir in broth and thyme. Return chicken thighs, with any accumulated juices, to pot. Bring to simmer, cover, and cook until meat is cooked and tender, but still clings to bones, 45 to 55 minutes.

Remove pot from heat and transfer chicken to cutting board. Allow broth to settle 5 minutes, then skim fat from surface. When chicken is slightly cooled, remove and discard skin. Using fingers or fork, pull meat from chicken thighs and cut into 1‑inch pieces; return meat to pot.

To make the dumplings: Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Add melted butter and milk and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated.

Return stew to simmer, stir in parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Scoop dumpling batter by the rounded tablespoon over top of stew, spacing about ¼-inch apart. Wrap lid of Dutch oven with clean kitchen towel, keeping towel away from heat source, and cover pot. Simmer gently until dumplings have doubled in size and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 13 to 16 minutes. Serve immediately.

Source: Adapted from Annie’s Eats

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White Bean Soup with Crisped Prosciutto

Tags

beans, cannelini beans, lemon, prosciutto, sage, soup

It was a cold and rainy day yesterday. We haven’t had many days like that this winter, so I figured I had to take advantage of it while I could. And make soup! What could be more comforting than a bowl of soup while the rain hits the windows!

I’ve been on kind of a bean kick lately, trying lots of recipes involving beans in all sorts of ways. In this soup, they’re pureed down to a creamy delicious soup that’s loaded with vegetables. This sort of thing really is the best way to get me to eat my veggies! And like Courtney always says, make sure to fully read through the recipe! I initially forgot to add the lemon at the end, so when I tasted the soup it was definitely missing something. But once the lemon was in there, it gave it the perfect little zing it needed. And the prosciutto on top was the icing on the cake!

White Bean Soup with Crisped Prosciutto
Yield: about 8 cups

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
4 large sage leaves, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
6 cups chicken stock
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
Salt
6 – 8 thin slices prosciutto
1½ teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more as needed

In a large 8-quart pot, heat oil over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they turn translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the celery and carrot; cook until softened slightly, about 10 minutes. Add the sage, garlic, and bay leaf and continue to cook for 2 more minutes, or until aromatic.

Add the chicken stock and beans; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, uncovered, until the vegetables are soft and have started to break down, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Meanwhile, position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Brush both sides of the prosciutto with olive oil and place each piece on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until they are slightly darker and wrinkly, 10 to 15 minutes; they will become crisp as they cool. Once cooled, break into shards and set aside.

To finish the soup, remove the bay leaf and puree the soup with an immersion blender, or use a blender or food processor and puree the soup in batches. Stir in the lemon juice and add more if needed; salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, topped with the crisped prosciutto.

Source: Shutterbean

Lasagna Soup

Tags

cheese, Italian, mozzarella, pasta, ricotta, sausage

I’ve recently discovered Google Reader and it has since become one of my favorite websites/phone apps. It makes it so easy to keep up on all the blogs I follow! I was reading through some of the blogs I follow and over my shoulder I hear, “Ooo, I want that!” Apparently my husband was looking over my shoulder and had seen the words lasagna and soup. That was all he needed and he wanted some! He loves soup, and he loves the meat-pasta-cheese combo so this soup was perfect for him. And I must say, he made a great decision in picking this soup! I had most of the ingredients on hand so I just needed to grab a couple other things and I was ready to go. This soup was amazing, and perfect comfort food! The taste is very similar to skillet lasagna, which is another tasty and easy lasagna alternative. Stirring cheese into the soup broth makes it creamy and reminiscent of the layers of lasagna, where sauce and cheese and meat all meld into one delicious flavor. Top if off with a nice ricotta mixture, and you have yourself and quick and easy lasagna, but in scrumptious soup form! Lasagna Soup

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
½ tablespoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 – 8 ounces spiral or curly pasta
½ cup chopped fresh basil
⅓ cup plus 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, plus more for topping
½ cup lowfat ricotta

In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil until it shimmers. Add the sausage, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is crumbled and browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, oregano, salt, and crushed red pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are blended, about 20 minutes. Add desired amount of noodles; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in mozzarella, basil, and the 3 tablespoons Parmesan.

While the pasta cooks, thoroughly mix ricotta with ⅓ cup Parmesan. Serve each bowl of soup topped with a few tablespoons of ricotta mixture. Garnish with additional mozzarella cheese.

Source: Adapted from Spiffy Cookie

Tuscan Bean Stew

Tags

beans, cannelini beans, carrot, celery, Italian, kale, onion

I totally didn’t realize there was so little time until Christmas! I’m so not ready yet! I had all these plans to make cookies and candies, and try all sorts of new and festive treats and share with you… but alas, I am running out of time. Guess I’ll have to see what I can bust out in the next week, and share what I can. There’s always next year to share more!

Now this soup isn’t festive, but it’s perfect for fall and winter. I tried this last year, and when the temps started dropping here, this is one of the first soups I got a craving for. It’s loaded with vegetables and beans, and is super hearty and filling. Cook’s Illustrated has a quick version, which is the one I used, and a longer version that uses dried beans. I would love to try this with dried beans, but I can’t seem to find dried cannelini beans in any stores nearby! Please let me know if you’ve ever found them, and if so where!! But anyways, if you’re a fan of beans and vegetables in soup, then you’ve got to try this delicious recipe!Tuscan Bean Stew

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
6 ounces pancetta or bacon, cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped medium (about 1½ cups)
2 medium celery ribs, cut into ½-inch pieces (about ¾ cup)
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
8 medium garlic cloves, minced
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
4 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed well
2 bay leaves
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 medium bunch kale (about 1 pound), thick stems trimmed and leaves coarsely chopped
1 sprig fresh rosemary

Heat oil and pancetta or bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pancetta is lightly browned and fat has rendered, 6 to 10 minutes. Add onion, celery, and carrots; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 10 to 16 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, water, beans, bay leaves, tomatoes, and kale. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add rosemary and simmer another 10 to 15 minutes, or until vegetables and greens are fully tender. Discard bay leaves and rosemary sprig; season with salt and pepper to taste. If desired, use back of spoon to press some beans against side of pot to thicken stew. Serve lightly drizzled with olive oil.

Source: Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, March 2008

Pumpkin-Apple Soup

Tags

apple, cream, nutmeg, Pumpkin, sage, thyme

November is at an end… it went by so fast! I suppose I should be stopping with the pumpkin recipes, since now is the time for red and green, peppermint and eggnog. But one more pumpkin recipe before it’s too late! Besides, soup is perfect for winter! This soup is complete comfort food, warming you from the inside out.

I’ve never tried pumpkin soup before, and while it always sounded good, I never saw a recipe that really jumped out at me. Now this recipe, it looked exceptional. I think it was the apple. It sounded like such a wonderful addition, especially when added with the savory herbs where a lot of recipes stick to cinnamon. The apple lends a unique flavor… mildly sweet and mildly tart but still a mild taste of apple among the pumpkin and cream. When it starts getting cold and you feel like something comforting, grab a bowl of this delicious soup!Pumpkin-Apple Soup
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced (about 2 cups)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
6 cups vegetable stock
⅔ cups natural applesauce
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground sage
½ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
30 ounces pumpkin puree
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup cream

In a large soup pot over medium heat, add the olive oil and heat until it shimmers. Add the onion, apples, and salt. Sauté until onions are translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, applesauce, pepper, sage, thyme and nutmeg. Bring to a boil and cook until apples are very tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the pumpkin and brown sugar and cook for 10 to 15 minutes over medium heat. Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to blend soup until smooth. Alternately, use a blender to blend the soup in batches. Add the cream and mix thoroughly. Warm over very low heat, and add more cream or water to thin out more, if desired. Remove from heat and serve.

Source: Slightly adapted from Brown Eyed Baker