DR TYLER’S CHICKEN MEATBALL & TORTELLINI NOODLE SOUP

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

03.30.10-chicken_soup

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Yield: serves 4-6

Time: 50 minutes

Chicken Meatballs:

4 links organic chicken-apple sausage meat, or equivalent ground chicken meat

1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs (2 slices of fresh white bread ground up)

1/2 cup whole milk

1 egg

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano, plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

extra-virgin olive oil

Soup:

3 cloves garlic, smashed

2 large carrots, cut into circles

1 medium onion, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

4 fresh thyme sprigs

2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth

4 black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 lb cheese tortellini, store bought

kosher salt

1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

parsley stems, for garnish

grated parmesan for top of soup

1 crusty baguette, to serve with the soup

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Take a large mixing bowl and add loose ground chicken meat (discard cases if using sausages), breadcrumbs, milk, egg, parsley and 1/4 cup of grated parmesan.  Season with salt and pepper then mix until fully combined.  Using an ice cream scoop, make balls and set out on a roasting tray.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a little grated parmesan.  Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and caramelised.

While the meatballs are cooking make the soup.  Set a large stock pot over medium heat.  Add olive oil, garlic and thyme and gently sauté until fragrant – about 2 minutes.  Add carrots, onion and celery, season with salt and cook for 5-7 minutes.  Pour in chicken broth and add peppercorns, parsley and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.

Once meatballs are cooked, scrape into the pot of chicken soup and add tortellini so everything is back in the pot.  Bring to a boil and cook for 2-3 minutes to allow the flavors to come together.  Give it a final season with salt and peper and serve in shallow bowls with a small shower of parsley and grated parmesan.  Garnish with a parsley stem and serve with some torn pieces of crusty bread.

Tags: , , ,

BROTHY PUMPKIN SOUP

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

12.08.09-pumpkin_squash-soup

BROTHY PUMPKIN SOUP WITH PANCETTA AND CABBAGE

Time: 2 hours + several hours to chill stock

Serves 8

(for the purpose of the webisode we can have the turkey broth pre-made)

Broth:

2 pounds smoked turkey wings

2 onions, quartered

2 carrots, roughly chopped
1/2 head garlic

1 pound rutabaga, peeled and roughly chopped

2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

2 bay leaves

1 pumpkin or 2 medium butternut squash (5 pounds total), split, seeded, peeled, and cut into 2-inch pieces

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 tablespoons minced fresh sage plus 6 whole leaves, cut in half

1 pound pancetta, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 small heads Napa cabbage, thinly sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Start by making a turkey broth. In a large stockpot, combine the turkey wings, onions, carrots, garlic, rutabaga, celery, bay leaves, and 1 gallon cold water (or enough to cover by at least 3 inches).  Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes, skimming when you feel like it to remove any impurities that float to the top. Remove from the heat and strain into a large pot or bowl, pressing on the vegetables and meat to extract as much flavor as possible.  Discard the vegetables, turkey, and herbs. Cool the broth to room temperature before storing in the refrigerator, or chill it down over ice first. When chilled, skim the surface again for any additional impurities.  This can be done up to 3 days in advance.

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Toss the pumpkin in a large mixing bowl with the olive oil, nutmeg, minced sage, salt, and lots of pepper.  Dump the pumpkin onto a cookie sheet, spread it out to a single layer, and roast for 45 minutes or until very tender.

Now that you’ve got the elements, you can put the soup together. Put a large stockpot over medium-low heat. Add the pancetta and cook for 2 to 3 minutes to render out some of that delicious fat.   Toss in the minced garlic and onion and cook for 2 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Add the whole sage leaves and cabbage and cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes or until the cabbage is wilted. Pour the strained, cooled broth into the pot and bring to a gentle simmer. Taste the soup and then season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with several pieces of pumpkin and a drizzle of olive oil.

Tags: ,