Week 162: White Chicken Lasagna Soup
Hello!
Two weeks ago we started our journey around the world through soup. Our first stop was in Africa with the flavorful West African Peanut Stew. With last week's Chicken Noodle Soup with Matzo Balls we made stops in three different parts of the world ... I had no idea chicken soup is a combination of so many different cultures. I always thought of the "Jewish Penicillin" hailing from Eastern Europe, in fact chicken soup is found in ancient Greece and China. While the chinese version is usually seasoned with ginger and scallions, their claim to fame was the addition of our much-loved noodles. Eastern European Jews in Austria and Germany were the first to add matzo balls to their chicken soup, mimicking dumplings found in other european cuisine of the time.
This week's menu features a soup version of a favorite dish that can be traced to 14th century and an origin story full of conflicts. It is a disputed topic between Italy, Greece and Englad about who created the first lasagna. Today's modern version of lasagna has its origin in Naples, Italy during the middle ages. Again, so very interesting to see how our version of a staple has evolved over the centuries to what we love to eat today.
On the menu for TUESDAY, APRIL 6th is WHITE CHICKEN LASAGNA SOUP with ITALIAN HERB BREAD. This soup tastes just like a white chicken lasagna....layers of noodles smothered in a velvety sauce flavored with tons of Italian herbs. My recipe describes this soup as having "slurpilicoius" flavor ... one of my favorite words.
The soup begins with browning diced chicken in a little bit of olive oil. Next, onions, carrots, red bell peppers and garlic are added to the pot to saute. Once softened, flour is added to begin the roux, which adds the delicious texture to the soup. Homemade chicken stock along with cannellini beans and all my go-to Italian herbs (parsley, oregano, basil, thyme) are added. Once the soup comes to a boil, broken lasagna noodles are added. Milk is incorporated near the end to increase the creaminess factor. Fresh baby spinach is dropped in add more veggies and add a pop of color. The soup is garnished with Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses along with fresh herbs.
The bread companion is my Italian Herb Bread. Since we're eating lasagna, we must eat my Italian Herb Bread. The fresh herbs in the bread will taste fantastic dipped into this creamy soup.
On the menu for dessert are SALTED CARAMEL SNICKERDOODLES - a new cookie for you all! When you bite into this cookie, you’ll have a nutty brown butter flavor (from using my browned butter technique) along with a gooey sweet caramel center. The cookies are still very soft and rolled in cinnamon and sugar. You don’t want to miss trying out this fun spin on a classic cookie! ~ Jenny from Jenny Sue Delights