Due Minestre

So I had some leftovers from a simple chicken dinner several days ago, and after the chicken was cooked I took the bones and skin, along with come carrots, onions, and celery and made a stock.

We were also able to take some of the leftovers of the Christmas II roast beef, from which I made a beef-barley and horseradish soup. I'll review that one first.

Minestra bistecca ed orzo - Ingredienti:
2 tbsp ITALIAN extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 cup red wine
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
4 cups beef broth
4 cups water
16oz chopped roast beef
2 tbsp horseradish
1 cup frozen vegetables (carrots, corn, peas, green beans, lima beans)
2 cups Quaker quick cook barley
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp ground sea salt

Place the olive oil in a large stock pot and sautee the onions, carrots, and celery for 5 minutes, until tender. Add wine and chopped garlic and cook until most of the liquid has cooked off.

Add tomatoes, broth, water, horseradish, basil, thyme, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, beef, and frozen vegetables to the stockpot and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Uncover and simmer for another 5 minutes.

If you're a real horseradish lover, you can add another tsp or so of horseradish to each bowl upon serving. Tastes FANtastic.

This soup was really good, and the horseradish and wine really made it pop, in my view. The other soup was an old-fashioned chicken noodle, but made with my favorite pasta - Gemelli.

Minestra pollo e gemelli - Ingredienti:
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 tbsp ITALIAN extra virgin olive oil
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
1/2 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups dry gemelli pasta
3/4 cup chopped carrots
10oz cooked chicken breast meat
ground sea salt
ground black pepper
2 chicken bouillon cubes

For thickening:
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup chicken broth

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot and sautee the onions, celery, and garlic until tender (about 5 minutes). Add broth, water, thyme, bay leaf, pasta, carrots, chicken, salt, and pepper (to taste) in the stockpot.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer (covered) for 15 minutes. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup flour and 1/2 cup cold chicken broth and whisk into a paste. This paste will be used to thicken the soup.

After the 15 minutes or simmering, bring the heat of the soup back to a rolling boil, and slowly add flour and broth paste while stirring. After adding the paste, add 2 bouillon cubes to the soup.

Reduce to a simmer again, and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes.

The chicken soup was my wife's favorite, and was just what I was going for - a thick, stewy chicken soup. The addition of the 2 bouillon cubes was made because the soup lacked some flavor, possibly because my broth was a bit weak. You may find that, if you use canned broth, this step is not necessary. Both of these soups work really well with a few pieces of crusty bread, and are a sure-fire way to warm up on a cold night (or day).

-C