As I’m so fond of saying (and you’re probably getting sick of hearing), rainy days are just made for making soup. And bread. Or rolls or muffins or any other thing that happens to grab your fancy at the moment.
At any rate, since we’ve had a remarkably rainy spell here lately – and I’d much rather pick up wind-downed branches and drag them to the burn pit or shovel a little mud than pay the price of another drought and having to water, water, water and take skimpy little baths the livelong spring, summer and maybe fall, too – let’s celebrate this drenching good fortune by building another batch of something hearty and heartening.
Albeit a somewhat rain-soaked blessing, thanks to fellow members of the Forum soup-loving contingent – rah, rah, rah – we have two recipes to choose from today.
The first, brought to light by Dick and Anne Vanderhoff of Stanwood, who previously shared the how-to for Browny’s clam chowder, features both chicken and sausage, plus lentils and barley. Onions and garlic, too, along with some other tasty ingredients.
The second soup du jour comes to us courtesy of Everett cook and longtime Forum helper-outer Cheryl Olsen. She thoughtfully included this snappy south-of-the-border spooner-upper when she sent along her favorite recipe for Chinese noodle salad a couple weeks ago. She mentions she ran across this concoction in a copy of Good Housekeeping magazine, and adds, “I hope you like it. It’s yummy.”
2chicken breast halves (about 1 pound total)
8ounces Italian sausages, casings removed
1medium onion, chopped
3cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/3cup pearl barley
2quarts chicken broth
1/2cup minced parsley
1cup lentils
1can (about 15 ounces) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1jar (about 12 ounces) salsa, any favorite type
1pound spinach, rinsed well, stems removed, and leaves coarsely chopped
Rinse chicken; pat dry and set aside.
Crumble sausage into a 5- to 6-quart pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until browned. Remove meat from pan with a slotted spoon; set aside. Add onion, garlic and barley to fat in pan. Cook, stirring often, until onion is soft and barley is toasted (about 5 minutes). Add broth, parsley, chicken and lentils. Bring to a boil over high heat. Then reduce heat, cover and simmer until meat in thickest part of chicken is no longer pink, about 30 minutes (cut to test).
Remove chicken from pan and let cool briefly. Discard skin and bones; shred meat and return to pan. Add sausage, beans and salsa. Bring to a simmer; stir in spinach. To serve, ladle soup into bowls. Makes six servings.
1tablespoon oil
2cloves garlic, chopped
2medium carrots, chopped
2ribs celery, chopped
1teaspoon minced jalapeno, or more to taste
1medium onion, chopped
1teaspoon cumin
4cups chicken broth
1 1/2cups water
1cup frozen corn
2tablespoons fresh lime juice
2cups cooked bite-size pieces chicken
1/2cup cilantro leaves
2medium tomatoes, cut in 1/2 -inch dice
1ripe medium avocado, peeled, pitted and cut up
Tortilla chips
In large saucepot, heat oil; add garlic, carrots, celery, onion and jalapeno and cook, covered, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often. Add cumin and cook 30 seconds, stirring. Add broth and water; cover saucepot and heat to boiling over high heat. Stir in corn, lime juice, chicken and cilantro. Heat to boiling. Remove from heat and stir in tomatoes. Ladle into four soup bowls and sprinkle each with avocado. Accompany with tortilla chips to crush into soup. Makes four servings.
The next Forum will appear in Friday’s Time Out section.
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