What's for Dinner?: Italian-Style Chicken and Mushroom Soup

This soup is delicious! I am back in Jackson in my big kitchen and I was looking for a hearty soup to serve as a light dinner. This combination of chicken soup with roast mushrooms is great. The soup can be frozen by making the soup as directed but leave out the pasta. Then, when you thaw and reheat the soup, add the pasta and cook until al dente.

This recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks -- The Foster's Market cookbook. Evidently, there really is a place called Foster's Market somewhere in the south. Someday, maybe I will go there, but until then, I just enjoy making their food!

Preparation time is long...(an hour and a half or two -- depends on if you need to poach the chicken) but you don't have to stand by the stove the entire time!

INGREDIENTS:

6 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
4-5 ribs celery, chopped
8 cups chicken broth
2 large chicken breasts, poached and shredded
4 bay leaves
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
2 whole heads garlic
8 ounces button mushrooms, cleaned and, if large, sliced into quarters
1 cup small pasta (orecchiette pasta, bow ties or elbow)
1 cup canned cannellini or navy beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Fresh spinach (a handful per person)
Grated parmesan cheese, for garnish

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees (to roast the garlic and mushrooms)

2. Start the soup. Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Add the celery and cook about 5 more minutes, stirring constantly.

3. Add the broth, chicken, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

4. While soup is simmering, place both heads of garlic on foil and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Wrap them up and place in the oven to roast (about 35-40 minutes) or until the garlic is soft. Meanwhile, toss the mushrooms with the remaining olive oil in a baking dish, place in the oven, and roast 15-20 minutes, turning lightly a couple of times during cooking so that they are coated evenly. They should be a nice brown color when you remove them from the oven.

5. Add mushrooms to soup. Remove garlic from the oven, peels the cloves, chop them in half (so you are leaving pretty big chunks) and add to the soup.

6. Add the pasta to the soup and cook 10-12 minutes longer. Add the beans and heat through. Add rosemary and parsley and stir to mix.

To Serve: Place a handful of fresh baby spinach leaves in the bottom of a bowl and ladle soup over. Top with parmesan and serve immediately. Yum!