2003-02-09 - 1:14 a.m.
today i cooked a good dinner. it was really fantastic. i am giving you all my recipe.
NATALIE'S WEDDING SOUP THAT IS MORE LIKE
WEDDING COUSCOUS
1 48 oz. can of chicken broth
i lb. of chickem breast tenders (the cheapest boneless, skinless chicken available)
16 oz. box of pastina (acine de pepe)
one package of chopped spinach
basil
salt
1 tsp of that chopped garlic that comes in a jar
parmesan cheese (shakey kind. we are not rich)
put the chicken broth in a big pot. bring to a slow boil. while it is heating up, chop chicken into teeny little pieces. add chicken to boiling broth and boil until chicken is cooked thoroughly. skim all of the scuzzy stuff off the top. (just use a spoon. it takes a second, but i have tried other ways and they are not as good. make sure to skim the scuz, or your food will be kinda gross.) salt broth and chicken to taste.
unwrap spinach and put it in the pot with the chicken and broth. add a couple shakes of basil, and resalt if you think you need to. also add tsp. of chopped garlic. once the spinach is not a brick anymore, you can turn it dowm to low, cover it and let it hang out until the pastina is cooked.
in a separate pan, boil some water and add the pastina. (it is important to cook the pastina in a separate pan, that way your soup does not get all cloudy.) it says it will take 10 to 12 minutes on the box, but only cook it for 8. (it will cook the rest of the way in the soup.)
now, you can't put the pastina in the colander or it will wind up in your sink, but you can't put all that water in the soup, so you are gonna need to spoon it out and get as much water out of it that way. spoon it into the spinach and chicken and broth stuff. turn the heat up a little more and let it cook for 5 to 10 minutes longer. while it is cooking, check again to see if you need more salt or garlic or basil or anything. add a couple tablespoons of shakey parmesan.
when it is done, there will be not that much broth. this is a thick soup. serve it in a bowl with a fat slice of italian bread and some more shakey cheese on top. it is really really fantastic, and not that bad for you.
you will also have tons of leftovers. invite your friends over, or go to the store and buy some of those glad containers and portion it out and freeze it. that way when you wanna eat but you do not wanna cook, you can grab one out of the freezer and throw it in the microwave.