Chicken Soup with Parsley Dumplings

• Yield Serves 6
  

Ingredients

• For the Broth

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 pounds total), each cut into 3 pieces
  • 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 1/4 pounds total)
  • 4 medium carrots (about 3/4 pound), cut on the diagonal into 1/4-inch rounds
  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced into half-moons
  • 2 celery stalks, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 1/2 cups homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock
  • Coarse salt
  • 1 teaspoon coarsely chopped fresh thyme

• For the Dough

  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 cup low-fat (1 percent) milk

Directions

1. Bring 2 quarts water, chicken, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, stock, and 1/8 teaspoon salt to a boil in a medium pot; skim froth. Reduce heat to medium-low; gently simmer 20 minutes. Add thyme.
   
2. Meanwhile, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, shallot, zest, parsley, and cheese in a medium bowl. Add butter, and blend in with fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk, and stir with a fork just until a dough forms.
   
3. Roll dough into 1-inch balls; add all at once to simmering broth. Cover; simmer, undisturbed, until the dumplings are cooked through, about 20 minutes. Divide soup among six bowls.
   

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Peruvian-Style Corn, Pepper, and Chicken Soup

Ingredients

8 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

• 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (about 2 lbs.)
• 3 ears corn, husked and cut crosswise into 1-in. rounds
• 1 1/2 red bell peppers, cut into 3/4-in. chunks
• About 1 tbsp. aji amarillo paste*
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1/3 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

1. 1. Put broth and chicken in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool. Skim broth.
2. 2. Add corn and bell peppers to broth and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until peppers and corn are just tender, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, remove skin and bones from chicken and shred meat into pieces.
3. 3. Return shredded chicken to pot and stir in chile paste to taste and lemon juice. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with parsley.
4. *Aji amarillo is a yellowish orange, fruity-hot chile from Peru. Find the paste at Latino markets.

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French Onion Soup

Makes 16 servings

Ingredients

• 5 lbs onions, unpeeled
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper freshly ground
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 7 (16 ounce) cans beef broth, divided (recommended Swanson’s)
• 1 cup dry white wine (optional)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour or instant flour (such as Wondra)
• caramel coloring (optional) or Kitchen Bouquet (optional)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• croutons (optional)
• Swiss Cheese (optional) or gruyere cheese (optional)

Preparation
1. Peel onions and slice 1/8 inch thick, preferably in a food processor.
2. Melt butter in a 6-quart (or larger) stockpot. Add onions; cook, uncovered, over low heat for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
3. (The long cooking time makes the onions mellow and sweet.) Stir in pepper, paprika and bay leaf; saute over low heat 10 minutes more, stirring frequently.
4. Pour in 6 cans broth and wine. Increase heat and bring to a boil.
5. Dissolve flour in remaining 1 can broth.
6. Stir into boiling soup.
7. Reduce heat and simmer slowly for 2 hours.
8. Adjust color to a rich brown with caramel coloring, season with salt. Refrigerate overnight. To serve, heat soup in microwave or on stove top.
9. If desired, pour into ovenproof crocks or bowls.
10. Top with croutons and a sprinkling of grated cheese. Heat under the broiler until cheese melts and bubbles, about 5 minutes.
11. Leftover soup can be frozen.

Source: http://ww-recipes.net

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Next Day Turkey Soup

Ingredients

• 2 quarts chicken broth
• 1 turkey carcass, all meat removed
• 1 onion, halved, plus 1 onion, minced
• 1 carrot, halved lengthwise, plus 1 carrot, minced
• 1 whole stalk celery, plus 1 more stalk, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cups dark turkey meat
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 carrot, minced
• 1 stalk celery, minced
• 3 cups leftover cooked Thanksgiving side vegetables (Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, green beans)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves

Directions

Put chicken broth, turkey, onion halves, carrot halves, 1 celery stalk, and 1 bay leaf in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer about 1 1/2 hours. Finely dice the remaining onion, carrot and celery and reserve.

Dice the turkey meat. Make sure meat pieces are no larger than the size of a soup spoon. (If preparing soup the next day, be sure to store leftover turkey meat in an airtight container before placing it in the refrigerator, top with 1 or 2 ladles full of broth to keep meat moist.)

Before straining broth, remove large bones and carcass with tongs. Strain the broth through a sieve, covered with wet cheese cloth. Discard the solids. Transfer broth to a bowl set in a bath of ice water, which will cool the broth quickly and help keep it fresher longer. This can be done the night before and stored in the refrigerator until the next day.

In a large soup pot, heat garlic cloves in the olive oil. Allow to brown slightly and add minced carrots, celery, and onion. Sweat over medium-low heat until softened, about 7 or 8 minutes.

Dice the leftover vegetables (here Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and green beans). Add the chopped sage to the soup pot along with the turkey broth and the remaining bay leaf. Bring to a simmer. When simmering, add Brussels sprouts, green beans and diced turkey meat to the soup. Bring it back up to a simmer. Finally, add the sweet potatoes to the center, and gently push them down. Turn the heat off and cover. Allow to sit and steam for 5 to 7 minutes.

Let simmer for 5 more minutes and serve.

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Egg Drop Soup

Egg Drop Soup
Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 for a light dinner

Base Ingredients4 cups (32 oz) chicken or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 to 4 large eggs
Salt or soy sauce

Flavoring Extras - Use one or all1/2" fresh ginger, peeled and cut into rounds
1 stem lemongrass, bruised
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
2 star anise
6-8 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons miso

Soup Extras - Use one or all1/2 block (7-8 oz) extra-firm tofu, cut into bite-sized pieces
8 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 bunch baby bok choy, thinly sliced
4 spring onions, thinly sliced

Pour the stock into a saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Put the smaller flavoring extras you're using into a tea ball or spice bag. Add all your flavoring extras to the saucepan with the stock. Turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Scoop out all the flavoring extras with a slotted spoon. Taste and add salt or soy sauce as needed.

Add any soup extras to the stock and simmer for five minutes. Save some scallions for sprinkling on top of the soup at the end.

Scoop out 1/4 cup or so of the stock and whisk it with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in a small bowl. Whisk this back into the stock and let it simmer for a minute or two until the broth no longer tastes starchy.

Whisk together the eggs in a small bowl with the remaining teaspoon of cornstarch. Make sure your soup is at a bare simmer. Holding a fork over the bowl (see photo), pour the eggs slowly through the tines. Whisk the broth gently with your other hand as you pour. Let the soup stand for a few seconds to finish cooking the eggs.

Serve immediately, topped with thinly sliced scallions.

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Lasagna Soup

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (32-ounce) container chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 ounces broken whole-wheat lasagna noodles (about 4 noodles)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
8 Whole-wheat breadsticks or grissini (optional)

Instructions:

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick saucepot or Dutch oven. Add the sausage, onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is crumbled and browned, 8 – 10 minutes. 

Add the broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, 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 the noodles; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens slightly and the noodles are tender, 10 – 12 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in mozzarella, basil, and the Parmesan. Serve with the breadsticks, if using. (whole-wheat lasagna noodles take a little longer to cook.)

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