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Tasty & Quick
Aug. 17th, 2012 06:34 amSo I just made some awesome soup. (Yeah, I know. I'm currently on Australia time.) It's based on a recipe from Desperation Dinners, which I mentioned a few posts back, but I un-did a couple of the "convenience" steps. They called it "Presto Pesto Chicken Soup," which I guess will still do for a name, although mine is a little less presto - it took me about 40 minutes from sticking the chicken breasts in the microwave to sitting down with a bowl.
2 T olive oil (I didn't actually measure, I just added enough to coat the bottom of the pot)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped (for between 3/4 cup and 1 cup)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fresh or partially thawed
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth (or 2 cans)
1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 t dried basil (or one big pinch)
a scant 1/4 t dried oregano (or one very slightly smaller pinch)
salt & freshly ground black pepper
Worchestershire sauce
1/2 c half-and-half or light cream
1/3 c pesto
Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a 4-quart or 5-quart pot and start chopping the onion, adding it to the hot oil as you chop. You are going to fry this onion up real good; you want it starting to turn golden, but not burning, so stir it as it fries. While it's doing that, slice the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces, about the right size to sit one at a time in a soup spoon. Add the chicken to the pot and stir it around into the onions; let it cook while you mince the garlic. Once the chicken has just barely turned white all over, with no visible pink, add the garlic; your onions should be all golden, with maybe a little bit of browning.
Add the chicken broth and the tomatoes and turn the heat up to high. Season with salt (how much will depend on how salty your broth is), fresh-ground black pepper, the basil and oregano, and a few good shakes of the Worchestershire sauce (between 1 t and 1 T, depending on how much you like Worchestershire sauce). Stir well and bring to a boil, then drop the heat to medium-low and go do something else for about 10 minutes.
When you come back, turn the heat off and let the soup stop simmering. Pour the half-and-half into the pot in a thin stream, stirring the whole time. Add the pesto and stir to combine. At this point, the soup will be a horrible greenish-pink color and you will wonder whether you have made a terrible mistake, but ladle yourself a bowl and sprinkle a good pinch of Parmesan over the top, because you have not. If you have some crusty bread, you might want to toast a couple of slices back during that ten-minute simmer. Enjoy; this'll serve two people by itself or four with bread and salad.
2 T olive oil (I didn't actually measure, I just added enough to coat the bottom of the pot)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped (for between 3/4 cup and 1 cup)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fresh or partially thawed
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth (or 2 cans)
1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 t dried basil (or one big pinch)
a scant 1/4 t dried oregano (or one very slightly smaller pinch)
salt & freshly ground black pepper
Worchestershire sauce
1/2 c half-and-half or light cream
1/3 c pesto
Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a 4-quart or 5-quart pot and start chopping the onion, adding it to the hot oil as you chop. You are going to fry this onion up real good; you want it starting to turn golden, but not burning, so stir it as it fries. While it's doing that, slice the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces, about the right size to sit one at a time in a soup spoon. Add the chicken to the pot and stir it around into the onions; let it cook while you mince the garlic. Once the chicken has just barely turned white all over, with no visible pink, add the garlic; your onions should be all golden, with maybe a little bit of browning.
Add the chicken broth and the tomatoes and turn the heat up to high. Season with salt (how much will depend on how salty your broth is), fresh-ground black pepper, the basil and oregano, and a few good shakes of the Worchestershire sauce (between 1 t and 1 T, depending on how much you like Worchestershire sauce). Stir well and bring to a boil, then drop the heat to medium-low and go do something else for about 10 minutes.
When you come back, turn the heat off and let the soup stop simmering. Pour the half-and-half into the pot in a thin stream, stirring the whole time. Add the pesto and stir to combine. At this point, the soup will be a horrible greenish-pink color and you will wonder whether you have made a terrible mistake, but ladle yourself a bowl and sprinkle a good pinch of Parmesan over the top, because you have not. If you have some crusty bread, you might want to toast a couple of slices back during that ten-minute simmer. Enjoy; this'll serve two people by itself or four with bread and salad.
