Recently I’ve been watching Rachel Khoo on Cooking Channel in the U.S. They’ve been replaying her BBC Two show The Little Paris Kitchen.
I love her recipes and her teeny tiny Paris kitchen! Last night I made her Chicken Dumpling Soup. Yum!
I’ll be delivering the left over to an ailing family member later today.
Have you ever thought, “I could make this from scratch and it would be much better.” It occurred to me, while having a bowl of something similar out of a can, that I could do just that.
Lemon Chicken and Orzo Soup
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
3 Carrots (diced)
2 ribs of Celery (diced)
1 medium Onion (diced)
1 bulb of Fennel (diced)
Salt & Pepper
1 teaspoon dried Sage
1 teaspoon Fresh Rosemary
4 cups Chicken Stock
2 cups Water
2/3 cup Orzo Pasta (cooked)
4 cups chopped Kale
2 cups cooked and shredded Chicken
The Zest and Juice of one large Lemon
In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium high and saute the carrot, celery, onion, and fennel for about 5 minutes. Add the sage and rosemary, salt and pepper and saute for a few more minutes.
Add the chicken stock and water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Add the kale, chicken, lemon (zest and juice) and orzo to the pot and continue to simmer until the kale is cooked down and the chicken is warmed through. Test for seasoning and add additional salt or pepper if needed.
Serve with garlic cheese bread.
In Oregon the weather still isn’t summer like yet. The laziness that hits, has arrived however and I just haven’t been in a complex recipe mood.
Soup is the ultimate lazy cook dish. I used up leftover veggies but you can include anything you’d like.
Vegetable Noodle Soup
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 small Onion, diced
2 Carrots, diced
3 stalks of Celery, diced
1 head of Broccoli, chopped finely
5 sliced brown Mushrooms
6 cup Chicken or Vegetable Stock
Salt & Pepper
2 Bay Leaves
2 stems Thyme
2 cups Wide Egg Noodles (or the pasta of your choice)
Heat the Olive Oil over medium high heat. Toss in the Onion, Carrot and Celery and saute for about 10 minutes. Stir in the Broccoli, Mushrooms, Bay Leaves, Thyme, Salt and Pepper and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add the Stock and bring to a boil.
Taste for seasoning and add additional Salt or Pepper.
Reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 10 more minutes.
Add the Egg Noodles, and cook for about 12 minutes, or until the noodles are tender.
Serve with a baguette or toasted cheese sandwich.
I’ve been reading a great book.
A love story set in Paris, with recipes? That’s just so entirely my thing it’s almost as if this author wrote it with me in mind. Thanks Elizabeth, you’re awesome!
I bought the E-reader version of the book so my Nook is doubling as my cookbook this time around. What a thoroughly modern Millie I am!
“Better Than French” Onion Soup
By Elizabeth Bard
4lbs onions (halved and sliced)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (cut into chunks)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
a few springs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 dry sherry
8 cups broth (chicken or beef, or a combo of both)
8 slices stale baguette or sourdough bread
1 lb Gruyere cheese (grated)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
In a Dutch oven, combine the onions, butter, olive oil, salt and thyme and bay leaf. Cook, covered in the oven for 1 hour. Stir and, leaving the lid slightly askew, continue to let the mixture cook in the oven for an additional 1 1/2 hours.
Transfer the Dutch oven to the stovetop. Cook the onion mixture over medium-high heat, until the liquid is evaporated and the onions are golden, about 20 minutes.
Add the sherry and cook 5 minutes more.
Add the broth, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any caramelized onions. Bring the soup to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
Spoon the soup into 8 individual ovenproof crocks and top each one with a crouton and a layer of grated cheese.
Place the crocks under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes until the cheese is brown and bubbly.
Here are the highlights from my attempt.
We loved it!
Oh, and gift idea: Caramelized onions in a sweet little jar!
