Leftover Chicken and Rice Soup

Here on the West Coast, winter is a mere wisp of fog in the early morning with the occasional (VERY occasional) splattering of rain shower.  The high today is 61 degrees.  As an East Coaster from THE snowiest, iciest, and sludgiest godforsaken region literally dubbed, "The Snow Belt," I know a thing or two about rough winters.  I also know a thing or two about not enduring said rough winters and immediately becoming the sun-loving wimp that I currently am.  I recently bought a wool poncho as my winter gear.

But as a cook, when the evening temps dip down into the 40s (yup), I'm all about traditional winter fare - bring on the soups, stews, and roasts.  And as always in the months following the indulgences of the holiday season, frugality and health are top priorities.  Creative uses for leftovers are key, and chicken soup is an excellent go-to. 

Nearly once a week Daniel expertly roasts a whole chicken.  He has got that sucker down to a science.  It is one of the easiest, cheapest and most satisfying meals and I love it because I don't have to do anything.  Plus we're left with a lot of roasted chicken to scatter throughout meals in the following days.  Apart from adding to salads or tacos, one of my favorite uses for leftover chicken is in some kind of soup.  It is the be-all end-all answer to what are we going to have for dinner tonight and what the hell am I supposed to do with this half of a portobello in the fridge?  

The formula is simple.  Start with a few cups of chicken stock, preferably homemade.  Bring to a low simmer.  Add vegetables of your choice - carrots, turnips, potatoes, greens, onion, celery, etc. etc.  Hard to go wrong here.  Add cooked chicken.  Cook until vegetables are tender.  Throw in herbs - dill!, parsley, cilantro, basil, etc.  Taste for seasoning, garnish with more herbs, and serve over a heaping spoonful of wild rice.  Not only have you put your roast chicken to good use, you've also cleared out the vegetable drawer in your fridge without having to brave the store!  Bring on the frost!

Though the variations are infinite, this is my favorite.  Light and lemony, it soothes out the winter aches, no matter where you're enduring them.

LEFTOVER CHICKEN AND RICE SOUP
serves 2 (with more leftovers)

4 - 5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 carrots, diced
2 turnips, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1/2 portobello mushroom, diced
2 - 3 handfuls chopped kale
the meat from 1 large, cooked chicken breast, diced
1 bunch fresh dill, chopped
1 lemon

2 cups cooked wild rice

In a large stew pot bring the chicken stock to a low simmer.  Add all vegetables and chicken.  Cook on low until the vegetables are tender.  The longer you cook it for, the better as this will enhance the flavors.  Add 2/3 of the chopped dill and juice from half the lemon.  Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed.  

To serve, scoop rice into bowls and ladle soup over top.  Garnish with more fresh dill and another wedge of lemon.    

Comfort.

Play.  A few days ago we went to see a movie in the theaters.  Going to the movies is one of my favorite pastimes.  It's about the smell of popcorn and the bags of Swedish Fish.   It's about the previews!  It's about getting out and making the movie an event.  Of sharing each scene with a room full of strangers.  It's about leaving the darkened theater and stepping into the blinding light of the lobby and feeling alive.  Stare at yourself in the florescent hue of the bathroom mirror and you'll feel invincible.  So says the boy.

We saw Take Shelter, a new movie directed by Jeff Nichols and starring Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain.  The acting is superb, the story is gripping, and the filming is in turns surreal, beautiful, and terrifying.  You should see this movie.  

In an attempt to keep most of the plot a surprise, I'm going to choose my words carefully.  This is a movie about a man battling some kind of mental illness, a paranoia that brings him to build out a shelter in his backyard.  There is a storm coming.  The scary, apocalyptic kind of storm you only read about in science fiction.  The rain is going to be oily and unnatural, and multiple tornadoes are going to ravage the countryside.  People will become violent, not themselves.  All of these visions are shown as the vibrant dreams of a man who can't seem to grasp the difference between his subconscious and reality, driving him insane.  The ending is awesome and quite a welcome surprise, but the tragic, haunting demise of a loving family man left me desperate for a hug.  And something very comforting.

Fork.  Or spoon, really.  After spending two hours trying to cope with a man's insanity and the end of the world, all I wanted was a warm bowl of tasty, satisfying soup.  One of my fall favorites is butternut squash.  Sweet and savory and silky.  Lovely burnt orange.  Very inviting, very comforting.
Recently, I've been adding apples, apple cider, lots of thyme, cinnamon, allspice, and star anise. 

Butternut Squash Soup with Apples and Star Anise

1 onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
2 large butternut squash, peeled and diced
3 large apples, peeled and diced
3-4 tablespoons fresh thyme
2 tablespoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons allspice
4 cups vegetable broth
1/3 cup apple cider
4 star anise

toasted almond slivers
fresh thyme 

Saute onion and garlic in oil until softened.  Add thyme, cinnamon, allspice, salt and pepper.  Add squash and apples and pour in stock and cider until just covered.  Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat until squash and apples are tender.  Puree with an immersion blender until smooth.  Add star anise and infuse for a few hours before serving. 

Reheat, taste and season as necessary.  Garnish with toasted almonds and thyme.  Serve with crusty bread.  

Glass.  Cabernet Franc and I have recently become very smitten.  Our romance has been slow to take off, mainly because I failed to recognize her endless potential.  One moment she is all sorts of savory and vegetal, spice and green.  The next she's a juicy, fruity, light-bodied red.  Sometimes she's funk and earth, but the next sip will surprise with hints of ripe berries and dried flowers.

There is something very comforting about Cabernet Franc and all of her depth.  Drinking a good glass of it just feels right, like how red wine should really taste.  A pure expression of the process. 

And Alice is on the label!

Bebame 2009, from AH Wines in El Dorado, California is a blend of Cab Franc (95%) and Gamay (5%).  The producers believe in the old world style of production - plant your grapes correctly, farm them naturally, pick at the right time, and let them do most of the work in the cellars.  It shows in this delightful wine, which we just got our hands on at my shop.  The Gamay shines through, but the Cab Franc is the backbone and the structure.  Elegant and fun, this wine is a solid reminder of the good things in life.  Paired with a steaming bowl of butternut squash soup, you'll sigh deeply and sip slowly.  Relaxed and comforted.