As daylight hours decrease and temperatures get colder, your body begins to crave warm, comforting foods. When I say “food” I mean soup.
The history of soup is said to have begun around 20,000 BC. Early people discovered how to make mud and clay containers and pots. And the rest, as they say, is “history”. Interestingly, eating soup was considered only relevant to either the poor or the physically ill. However, soups, stews, chowders, chili, and soups can be found on nearly every restaurant menu and at every price point around the world.
For me, soup evokes childhood memories. We were a small family of four: my father, mother, sister, and me. Since I didn’t have much money, soup was not only delicious and filling, but also kind to my finances. My mother made oyster chowder for her father. When we were little, her sister and I weren’t interested in oysters, so her mother would open cans of condensed chicken noodle soup. More than 50 years later, eating chicken noodle soup in any form instantly transports me back to my childhood.
As I grew up, my taste for soup expanded. As an adjunct instructor in the Culinary Arts program at Lincoln Land Community College, I teach an entire community education class dedicated to soups. My favorites are cheesy potatoes, zuppa toscana, chicken gnocchi, parlor chili, pasta efagioli, veggie beef, and french onion.
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So, as you look forward to the culinary adventures that await in the new year, build a fire, throw a pot of soup, and enjoy a bowl of heartwarming recipes from my students, who call me Mama Kim. . Blessings!
chicken gnocchi soup
Serves 6 people
Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes
*3 tablespoons butter
*2 tablespoons olive oil
*3/4 cup onion (cut into small cubes)
*1/2 cup carrots (cut into small cubes)
*1/2 cup celery (cut into small cubes)
*4 cloves of garlic (chopped)
*Coarse kosher salt and fresh black pepper (to taste)
*1/3 cup all-purpose flour
*4 cups chicken soup
*1 1/2 cup half & half
*2 cups cooked white meat chicken, shredded or cut into small pieces.
*1 pound of freshly made potato gnocchi (recipe below)
*3 cups fresh baby spinach, stems removed
*1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
*Freshly grated Parmesan and/or Romano, for serving
direction
1. Heat the butter and oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Sprinkle flour in a pot and stir-fry the vegetables. Cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add chicken broth 1 cup at a time, followed by half and half.
3. Add the cooked chicken. Bring to a boil and maintain for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Cook the gnocchi separately.
5. Add the cooked gnocchi to the soup along with the spinach. Cook until spinach wilts. Add basil and stir. Serve with grated cheese.
Homemade gnocchi with leftover mashed potatoes
Chef’s Note: Generally speaking, 2 parts mashed potatoes, 1 part flour, and 1 egg for every 2 cups of potatoes.
*2 cups cold mashed potatoes
*1 cup of flour
*1 egg (beaten)
*3/4 teaspoon salt
direction
1. Place half of the flour on your work area.
2. Place the mashed potatoes on top of the flour.
3. Make a well in the potato and pour the egg into it. Add salt and it’s done.
4. Pour half of the remaining flour (1/2 cup) on top.
5. Using your hands or a bench scraper, fold the eggs, salt, and flour into the potatoes.
6. Once everything is roughly mixed, gently knead the dough for a few minutes, just like you would when making pasta. Do not over knead. Add remaining flour as needed. If the dough is still too sticky and difficult to handle and roll out, add more flour. Again, be careful not to add too much flour. If you add too much, the gnocchi will become tough and dense.
7. Divide the dough into convenient sizes.
8. Roll out the dough until it is about 3/4 inch in diameter.
9. Using a pastry cutter or knife, cut the rope into 3/4-inch lengths.
10. Decide how you want to shape your gnocchi. Roll the gnocchi on a fork or press the center with your thumb. For classic ribbing on gnocchi, roll each piece onto the tines of a fork. It takes some practice, but you can get the hang of it. Dust your thumb with flour if necessary, but be careful not to add too much flour. To make a thumbprint version, simply insert your finger into the center of the gnocchi. Either version is fine. The reason you need to do it one of these two ways is because its ridges and depressions help hold the sauce.
11. To cook, place the gnocchi in boiling salted water. When it floats, it’s done. To make it even tastier, fry it in butter or oil for a few minutes. You can then top the gnocchi with red sauce, or you can take it a step further and serve the gnocchi with burnt butter and crunchy sage leaves.
Kim Carter is an adjunct culinary instructor at Lincoln Land Community College.
Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in culinary arts, hospitality management, baking/pastry, and value-added local ingredients, as well as non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.
Have questions about cooking or food? Email Epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.