Aunt Suzy says . . .
It’s early February and that means cold where we live – perfect weather for soup. This week, I felt I might be coming down with a cold, so I thought a soup with ginger in it would really hit the spot. I recently filed away this recipe from Bon Appetit, so when I searched for something to make it was at the top of the pile. Randy and I both agreed that we would make this again. Once the ingredients were assembled, it came together in about 45 minutes. Who can ask for more on a cold weeknight?!
Ginger-Spiced Chicken Soup
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced in half-moons
1/2 to 1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons peeled fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 quarts chicken stock or broth
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cups baby spinach
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Cooked small pasta, optional
Lime wedges (for serving)
Directions
Heat a soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil and heat till shimmering. Add the onions and mushrooms and saute, stirring, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and saute another 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add the chicken stock, cayenne pepper and salt/pepper to taste. Simmer for 15 minutes to blend the flavors. Add the chicken and simmer another 10 minutes. Add the spinach immediately before serving.
To serve, place 1/2-3/4 cup cooked pasta in a soup bowl, if using. Ladle in the soup, then add a few sliced scallions for garnish. Serve with wedges of lime.
Cook’s notes:
You could use button or crimini mushrooms as substitutes for shiitake. The original recipe called for an entire rotisserie chicken shredded and I can’t imagine it with that much meat! I baked a chicken breast in the oven and that was more than enough. I think that all quantities here are guidelines. For example, I used probably 3-4 cups of spinach, more ginger and less cayenne than called for. We liked it with cooked elbow macaroni and agreed that next time we make this we’ll use whole wheat. I realized this morning that when I served the soup last night, I forgot the limes and scallions. For lunch today, I had it with the limes and scallions. Both ways were fabulous!
Sweet & Savory Kitchens 