“If music be the food of love, play on.” – Shakespeare, ‘Twelfth Night’
NOTE: I spend my Wednesdays Unplugged from appointments. It’s my day to stay home, enjoy cooking and welcome our kids and grandkids for dinner in the evening. We end our meal with quotes from the Norwegian ‘Quote Cup’ passed on to me from my grandmother. I share a quote and a recipe here each week, along with an update and photos of what has been going on in our lives. I love trying new recipes…and love getting recipes you would like to share!
This was a fun theater week. Last Wednesday our family was at Children’s Theater for ‘Spamtown, USA’, an interesting play about the Austin, MN Hormel strike in the 1980s that sparked discussion the whole way home. Then we went to the Guthrie over the weekend with dear friends for ‘Twelfth Night’… another creative production, one that kept us laughing!
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
I have had this week’s recipe from Food Network Magazine in my file since 2014. It felt like a soup week and I am enjoying it even more as leftovers as the flavors and texture have more time to meld. I never would have thought of pureeing rice, carrots and tomatoes for the base but it was delicious. I was in a hurry and chopped the chicken in the blender rather than shredding it, but I like a denser soup so think I would likely do the same thing again. My body likes this soup. It freezes well.
CHICKEN-RICE SOUP
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 5 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup white rice
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Combine the chicken broth, celery and all but 1/2 cup carrots in a large pot. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and add chicken, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Cover and gently simmer, flipping the chicken once, until just cooked through, about 18 minutes. Remove chicken to cutting board and let cool slightly. Reserve the broth.
Meanwhile, combine 4 cups water, the rice, tomato paste, 1 chopped tomato and the remaining 1/2 cup chopped carrots in a saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, until rice and carrots are tender, about 15 minutes.
Puree the rice mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth; whisk into the pot with the broth mixture. Add the peas, heavy cream and the remaining 2 chopped tomatoes. Bring to a simmer.
Shred the chicken and return it to the soup. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice, thin with water if needed. Season with salt and pepper.
