Week 156: Chicken Ribollita Soup
Hello & Happy Thursday :-)
Last week I introduced a new bread, I hope you enjoyed it! And this week I'm happy to introduce a new soup to you ... one that's perfect for this blustery, snowy weather.
This soup, which is really more of a stew, originates in the Tuscany region of Italy and is a simple soup. Simple in the sense that the ingredients are leftover bread, cannellini beans, cabbage and inexpensive vegetables like carrots, celery and onions. The soup dates back to the Middle Ages when the peasants reheated their feudal lords' minestrone soup with leftover bread for their own meal. But the soup tastes anything but simple ... It's flavorful, hearty and perfect for a winter's evening dinner!!
On the menu for TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16th is CHICKEN RIBOLLITA SOUP with ROSEMARY FOCACCIA. My tasty interpretation of Ribollita is a hearty, comforting stew choked full of veggies, bites of tender chicken, creamy white beans and shredded cabbage ... and garnished with homemade herbed croutons.
The soup begins with sauteing onions, carrots, celery and garlic in the pot with olive oil. After a few minutes, shredded cabbage is added. Once all the veggies are softened, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, homemade chicken stock, tender bites of chicken and spices are mixed in. The soup simmers until all the flavors blend together. And while the traditional ribollita soup is reheated with leftover bread...I thought it would be a lot more fun (and tastier) to garnish the soup with homemade herbed croutons.
The bread companion this week is my ROSEMARY FOCACCIA. It's crisp on the outside yet soft and chewy on the inside. Extra-virgin olive oil gives the bread texture and flavor while fresh rosemary and flaked sea salt add the finishing touches to make this bread so unbelievably delicious. This bread is a perfect choice for this Italian soup!
On the menu for dessert are CHOCOLATE CHIP YORK PEPPERMINT COOKIE BARS. This is a brand new item for this year and I couldn’t be more excited! The idea is simple, but the result is incredible. These bars start with a homemade chocolate chip cookie base. Then I put A LOT of York peppermint patties on top of the base (because you want to ensure every bite has a peppermint Patty in it!) and then place the remaining chocolate chip cookie dough on top. You’ll be wanting seconds in a heartbeat! - Jenny from Jenny Sue Delights