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The original recipe came
from a magazine that’s long gone. I start the recipe the same way each
time with the olive oil, onion, garlic, rosemary, chicken and sweet potatoes.
Those ingredients give the basic flavor palette. I add other vegetables based
on who's coming for dinner, what's in the fridge, the quantity I want, how much
time I want to put into prep, and if I have a taste for something. Basically,
it’s rarely the same twice, and it’s always good. I always add a dark green leafy vegetable like
spinach just before serving company, not only for the nutrients, but for the
color contrast as well. It just looks more appetizing with bright green against
the orange and browns. If you want this vegetarian, omit the chicken and
chicken stock, vegetable broth or water instead.)
Ingredients:
2 T olive oil
1 Large or 2 med onions
4 -6 Garlic cloves
2 T Rosemary
- Minced - fresh is best
2 chicken breasts or 4
thighs cut into bite size pieces – no knives needed
3 stalks of celery chopped
into half inch pieces
2 large or 5 small Parsnips
– peeled and chopped into half inch pieces (they are the vegetables that look
like albino carrots)
1 large or 2 small Turnips
- peeled, chopped into half inch pieces (its a round white snowball with
purple icing)
2 Sweet Potatoes - 1 of
them peeled and chopped into 1/2" pieces. The second Sweet potato peeled, chopped
into 1 1/2" pieces
1 Can White beans -
Northern (black beans are good too)
2 C Mushrooms
1 Zuchini - chopped into
1/2" pieces or green beans
2 C Broccoli chopped bite
size
2 C Spinach chopped
Salt and Pepper
32 ounces chicken broth
(Strengthens the flavor)
2 Cups water
Instructions
· Saute the onions in the
olive oil, once they are translucent,
· Add the garlic, and rosemary,
then add and brown the chicken.
· Pour in a bit of the
chicken broth into the pan to make sure you get all the onion, garlic and
chicken. This will be transferred to a pot.
· Pour the remaining liquid
into the soup pot and add the sweet potatoes, celery, parsnips, turnips, then
add in the ingredients from the sauté pan. The ingredients call for a generous
amount of liquid. Start with the chicken broth and add some of the water here.
· When the large sweet potato
chunks are soft, mash them with a fork or a wand, they will blend and thicken
the broth. Mashing the sweet potatoes thickens almost creams the soup. Leave
the little sweet potato chunks for texture.
· Toss in the mushrooms and
beans– which basically soak up the flavor and stretch the soup, not really add
much flavor. Good for if you want to make a large batch. Add more of the water
if it seems to thick. This is not a clear broth soup, so don’t add much, but it
will cook down. Let it simmer about 20 minutes.
· Ten minutes out from
serving add the broccoli.
· Taste it (no double dips
with same spoon.) Add salt or pepper. It often doesn’t need it.
· Call people to the table
(Someone always has to “wash their hands.”
· Toss in the spinach, have
someone pour the wine and serve the bowls. The spinach should look bright green
contrasting against the orange.
· WINE: If it’s lunch or warm
out, I like serving a Portuguese Vino Verde – it’s crisp and just this side of
sparkling – a great contrast to the potatoes. Or I serve a New Zealand
Sauvignon Blanc.
· SIDES: For texture and for
contrast in flavors, I usually serve this with rustic bread, fruit bread or
vegetable chips and sliced apples or small bunches of grapes. I like
that there is finger food along with using the spoon.
