I Dreamed Of Soup
Yes, I truly did dream of soup last night. Perhaps that’s because I have a cold, which means about the only way to relieve congestion is by hanging my head over a steaming bowl of something that preferably smells fantastic. (I still can’t take cold meds. Ugh!) Or perhaps it’s because last night I made the single best soup I’ve ever had at home. Or both.
So I’m having soup for breakfast. It’s got just enough kick to clear up the fog in my head, not to mention that the spice will ensure I drink enough liquids.
A Different Chicken Tortilla Soup
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp. garlic powder
Olive oil
32 oz. chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 can Rotel tomatoes and chiles, with juice
2 packets McCormick taco seasoning
10 corn torillas, ripped into small pieces
3 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
12 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Sprinkle celery and onion with garlic powder. Cook in oil until translucent.
2. Slowly add chicken broth, diced tomatoes and Rotel. Stir well.
3. Add taco seasoning packets, chopped chicken and torn tortillas.
4. Bring to boil for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently to break up tortillas.
5. Reduce heat to simmer. Add cheese. Stir until melted.
6. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve by garnishing with some extra shredded cheese.
Enjoy!
*never tease someone who is dieting* *never tease someone who is dieting* *never tease...
Chicken-rice egg-lemon cream soup. About four quarts.
I presume that you know how to boil some pieces of chicken in about five quarts of water until the meat pulls away and you have about four quarts of broth. Take out the meat and set it aside. If you would like, debone it, shred it and put it back in the broth or if not, not. (It’s delicious with salt, pepper and lemon just by itself.)
Salt to taste.
Throw about two cups of long grain rice into the broth.
As your rice is boiling the hard part starts.
Six eggs. Separate the yolks from the white. My mother would whip the white and the yolks separately and combine them after. My mother in law just whips the yolks very fine and discards the whites. Same thing. Add the juice of two lemons to the eggs while still whipping. When you consider your rice cooked enough, turn off the heat and add hot broth to your eggs while whipping. Keep whipping. You don’t want the egg to curdle. (That’s why my wife throws away the whites.) Keep adding hot broth. Make your “meringue” as hot as possible. Pour evenly into pot. Stir in or leave as a creamy layer on top.
Isn’t that “Avgolemono?” It’s one of my favorite Greek foods! Then again, it’s hard to go wrong with Greek food.
Yup. And it works with a lamb (or pork) with endive (or celery or lettuce) fricasse too but there you have to stir it in. Very little water in the fricasse. Just enough to cover the meat. The vegetable will produce enough broth. Add pepper, if you like it, and green onions for a little something extra.