Chicken, White Bean & Kale Stew

The past three weeks were a pretty a fantastic blur of friends, family, coffee, wine, cheese, ginger cookies, caramel popcorn, dark chocolate salted caramel tart, roasted jalapeno artichoke dip, lasagna, roast beef, pizza, and…  did I mention wine… and coffee?!?

It is now January, however, the holidays are officially over and it is cold in St. Louis.  It is no longer the kind of cold that is trimmed with twinkling Christmas lights and warmed with hot cocoa… it is just January cold (and dark, but I will save the dark drama for a post on the February-funk).

In an attempt to not blow my New Year’s resolution(s) on January 1 or 2, I decided to head in the kitchen and tackle the remains of a roasted chicken.  I chopped and reserved the remaining meat for the stew and used the bones to make a quick and easy slow cooker stock, in an attempt to maximize our use of food and reduce our waste.

This is a pretty great way to up-cycle a protein and an easy and satisfying stew that will help you wean off your holiday indulgences.

INGREDIENTS:
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 cups chopped onion (2 medium onions)
5 cloves chopped garlic
2 cups chopped carrots (4 medium carrots)
28 oz. can diced tomatoes in juice
2 cups dried great northern beans (rinsed and soaked over night)
3 teaspoons salt (to taste)*
½ teaspoon pepper (to taste)
Rind of parmigiano reggiano cheese
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
8-10 cups chicken stock
8 cups chopped kale
Parmigiano Reggiano

PREP:
Place the remains of a roasted chicken in the crock pot (remove skin and large portions of meat).  Add approximately 10 cups of water, 1 roughly chopped onion, 1 roughly chopped carrot, and 2 bay leaves.  Let simmer on low heat overnight. Strain the stock to remove the solids and skim the fat off the top You can always use store bought stock, but may want to reduce the amount of added salt.

Rinse and soak 2 cups of navy beans overnight.

Chicken, White Bean & Kale Stew

COOK:
Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat.  Add the chopped onions, garlic, carrots, and 1 teaspoon of salt.  Sweat the vegetables over medium heat until soft, but not browned (5-8 minutes).  Add the 2 cups of soaked beans and the diced tomatoes with their juice.  Season with an additional teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning. Bring vegetables and beans to a simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Add 8 cups of chicken stock to the vegetable/bean mixture and drop in the rind from a wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.  Simmer for about an hour until the beans are soft.

Add 2 cups of cooked chopped chicken and slowly stir in the chopped kale, one cup at a time.  Add additional chicken stock and salt, as needed, and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.

SERVE:
Serve with large shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and crusty bread!

Confession of a *wannabe* foodie… also best served with wine, but then again… isn’t everything!

Lentil Soup

Happy New Year!  Do you all have any fabulous food traditions for the New Year?  I chose to stick with my Italian roots… or root… and opted for a steaming bowl of lentil soup on this freezing first day of the new year!

The inspiration for this lentil soup comes from la mamma Italiana and my year as an exchange student in Siracusa, Sicily.  The highlight of my year was definitely my amazing host family, but the incredible food was a close second.  I realize lentil soup may not be what traditionally comes to mind as you think of scrumptious Sicilian cuisine, but this is the perfect Mediterranean meal to warm up your winter!

I was a bit skeptical at first too…  I had not yet quite developed my love for legumes at 18, but trust me, this is delicious!  This soup only takes a few minutes of prep work, before simmering on the stove, and it freezes great for weekday lunches or a midweek meal.

Confession of a *wannabe* foodie…. Wow!  It is tough to make lentils look appetizing in a photo!

LENTIL SOUP
Ingredients:
1 lb dried lentils
1 potato
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
1 large tomato
8 cups stock (I prefer ham stock, but any stock would work)
2 bay leaves
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
Ditalini Pasta (or other short pasta)
Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese

PREP:
Thoroughly rinse and sort the lentils.

Add the lentils and 8 cups of stock to a large pot over medium heat.

Roughly chop all the vegetables and add them to the pot with lentils and stock.  Add the 2 bay leaves and bring the soup to a boil uncovered.  Once the soup is boiling, then reduce it to a simmer and cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar.

COOK:
Simmer for 45 minutes until the lentils and all the vegetables are tender.

Puree the soup using an immersion blender or a traditional blender.

Return the soup to the pot and season to taste with olive oil, salt and pepper.

SERVE:
Serve the lentil soup over ditalini pasta and garnish with shaved parmigiano reggiano cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Allen and I both suffer from serious allergies, which is quite unfortunate, because we live in Saint Louis (one of the allergy capitals of the U.S.), with 2 cats and 1 dog!  Spring and fall, although beloved, can be exceptionally difficult in the Cavedine house.   Allergies are, or course, irritating, but the sore throats that always seem to tag along with our sinus fun, are the real kicker!  To combat the sinus funk, we created this a magic elixir to soothe the sorest of sinusy  throats – an unbelievably easy and tasty semi-homemade chicken noodle soup.

Although making a semi-homemade soup may sound like a terrible idea when you’re not feeling well, this one takes a few shortcuts to make it easier on the ill and trust me, it is worth it!   This addicting, comforting, hot, and salty soup will have you feeling up to snuff in no time!  It also makes a ton, so you can freeze a few containers for the next time you need a hit.

Confession of a *wannabe* foodie… I rarely use homemade chicken stock!  If I have a chicken hanging out around the house, of course I will use the carcass to make a tasty broth, but… usually I stick with Penzey’s chicken base.  AND… the ultimate foodie confession… I rarely taste a difference!

Ingredients:
2 T. Olive Oil
1 Onion (chopped)
3 Carrots (chopped)
2 Celery Ribs (chopped)
4 Garlic Cloves (smashed)
1 t. Salt
2 t. Ground Pepper (I love Penzey’s 4 Peppercorn Blend)
¼ c. Flour
20 c. Chicken Stock (give or take, depending on your preference for soup consistency)
1 Bag Wide Handmade Amish Egg Noodles
1 Rotisserie Chicken (skin removed, or eaten… don’t judge!)

PREP:
Chop all your veggies (onion, carrots, celery), so they are about the same size.

COOK:
Pour the olive oil into a large soup pot over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the chopped veggies and smashed garlic.
Saute until the veggies are soft and translucent.
Add salt, pepper, and flour, and stir 3-4 minutes until the flour completely coats the veggies and begins to turn light brown.
Add chicken stock, one cup at a time, whisking thoroughly between each cup (for the first 4-5 cups).
As you bring the stock to a simmer, shred or cut the chicken into desire pieces.
Add the shredded/chopped chicken and noodles to the pot.

SIMMER:
Simmer until the noodles are tender.
Add salt and pepper as desired.

Relax, enjoy, and feel the relief…

Chicken Noodle Soup