How can chicken soup transcend our assumptions about flavor and recipe building? We tend to look at ingredients in a recipe as though they all have an equal job, lining up ingredients like dominoes. The fact of the matter is recipes are built by chemistry, not a checklist. Each element plays a role in building another element depending upon their role. And few things are more important than an oil because it binds by emulsifying and creates a seamless introduction to a set of flavors. Resulting in flavors that feel curated, not thrown together.
How did it come together? I started with a really generous glug of the oil. At the end I added another huge drizzle of it and served it in a deep bowl with a nice large spoon, and another flourish of parsley.
So danged sophisticated. So danged simple. So immensely unique. And the process so vital to your journey to becoming an intuitive and masterful cook!
Recipe Credit: Camine Pappas. To read more about Camine and view all her recipes, click here to visit her website: IFeelLikeCooking.com.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/3 cup Olive This! Single Varietal Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided – I chose an oil with robust intensity both for the greater health benefits but also for the bold flavor
- 1 cup sweet white onion, large dice
- 1 cup celery, large dice
- 1 cup carrot, large dice
- 4 cups plain chicken stock (not unsalted)
- ½ teaspoon each of garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon of dried, crushed oregano leaves
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (flakes, not fine)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cans Northern White Beans
- ½ cup chopped fresh Italian leaf parsley
- 3 cup shredded white meat from a rotisserie chicken
DIRECTIONS
In a large stockpot heat 5 tablespoons of Single Varietal Olive Oil until shimmering. Add the onion, celery, and carrot. Stir and cook until onions are transparent. Add the 4 cups of stock, the seasonings, and the salt and pepper. Reduce heat and keep on a low bubbling simmer, cover and cook for 25 minutes.
Remove lid, add the 2 cans of white beans, with all the liquid in the can. Add about 3 tablespoons of the chopped parsley. Cook until the beans are as hot as the rest of the soup. Add the chicken and stir until hot. Do not boil it after you put in the chicken. Drizzle with a little more oil and serve.
To serve, place a serving in the bowl, add a bit of cracked pepper, a flourish of parsley, and a dotting of the oil. You don’t have to use all the oil, but don’t be afraid to be generous! It is so vegetal, clean, fresh, and balanced. It will galvanize the purpose of the entire dish!
©Photo and Recipes by Copyright, Camine Pappas, 2013 – 2023
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