Thursday, January 14, 2010

Soup's On: Mamma Leone's Chicken Soup

Do you have a kinder, more adaptable friend in the food world than soup? Who soothes you when you are ill? Who refuses to leave you when you are impoverished & stretches its resources to give a hearty sustenance & cheer? Who warms you in the winter & cools you in the summer? Yet who also is capable of doing honor to your richest table & impressing your most demanding guests? Soup does its loyal best, no matter what undignified conditions are imposed upon it. You don't catch steak hanging around when you're poor & sick, do you?  ~ Judith Martin (Miss Manners)

It's finally cold here in FL & I need a change, a reason to commit to a delicious project. So, welcome to the 1st bowl of Soup's On.

In the weeks of Winter to come, I will be posting 12 delicious, heart warming soups that will not only feed  you but soothe you from the inside out.

This first one is very special. It's Chronicle of a Mommy's Dad's favorite soup. It originated from a popular 1906 NY (my hometown) restaurant called Mamma Leone's in the theatre district. It's no longer open but one of their coveted recipes was this Italian soup. A deli in Oregon was serving it up one day to Kacey's Dad. He loved it so much they told him he could find it online. He did & has been making it ever since.

What I LOVE most about this soup, aside from it being delicious, is that it tastes like it would be bad for you with all the lovely creaminess, but it's not. The fat free evaporated milk & flour make it thick & creamy without the guilt. I dined on this for 3 days straight. And I wasn't even a soup person. Until now!!!!




MAMMA LEONE'S CHICKEN SOUP

{ Click Here for Printable Recipe }

1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp kosher salt plus extra for chicken breasts
1/2 tsp black pepper plus extra for chicken breasts
1 tblsp vegetable oil
4 tsp butter
1 medium onion diced
3 stalks celery diced
1 tblsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 heaping tsp sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2 cup all purpose flour plus 2 tblsp
8 cups fat free chicken broth
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
3/4 cup fat free evaporated milk
2 cups thinly sliced spinach

Preheat oven to 375. Season chicken breasts with salt & pepper to taste & place on a baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven & cool. Dice & set aside.

While chicken is cooking, heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add butter & melt. Sauté the onions & celery until translucent, about 6-7 minutes. Add the garlic, tarragon, oregano, paprika & remaining 2 tsps salt & ½ tsp pepper.



Cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes. Add the flour & stir until well combined. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth & bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes & evaporated milk. Reduce heat & simmer for 20 minutes. Add chicken & simmer 10 minutes.



Stir in spinach just before you’re ready to serve.




{ Food for Thought }

I don’t recommend substituting regular paprika for the sweet Hungarian as it really contributes to the overall taste of this soup. I loved the diced tomatoes in this & recommend increasing by 50% but no more than that. I also shredded my chicken out of personal preference. Lastly, I left the baby spinach whole & didn’t bother slicing it.

A little tip: to keep the top layer from becoming gelatinous while in the fridge, place a piece of saran wrap directly on top of the soup before covering as you normally would. This also works on gravies, puddings, etc.



38 comments:

Lora said...

Yum! This looks absolutely amazing!!

Debby@Just Breathe said...

When will I ever find time to make all of the recipes I find on the blogs. I know my husband is glad that I am cooking again. This sounds very good.

Michelle said...

I really need to try this one!

Danyele Easterhaus said...

girl...i want me some soup now.

Meghan said...

This soup looks so good to me right now! I am putting it on my list of things to make in the next week - thanks!!! :)

AiringMyLaundry said...

That seriously looks SO good. I am a big fan of soup.

strokeofliving said...

Can I just have you fly to my home twice per month to have you prep food for my freezer for me to later de-thaw and impress my friends?

Liza said...

Every time I see one of your recipes, I want to walk right into the kitchen.

Melody @ 6 Feet Over said...

OMG - I must try this. My stomach is growling now.

~melody~

Venus and Mars said...

I haven't tasted this since staying at the Milford Plaza in the 80's ! Thanx !

Ronda said...

Hi, Love the quote about soup at the beginning--very true!
I just printed this recipe out to bring to Maryland tomorrow. Perfect for the weekend and the cold weather!
Have a beautiful weekend:)
XOXO

Brenda said...

I wonder if the chicken could just be cooked in the broth? Any thoughts on that.

I like this recipe because it looks like its Weight Watchers friendly (don't know about the flour). I'll have to figure out what the points are :)

Bibi @ Bibi's Culinary Journey said...

I love the touch of Hungarian Paprika in it. I never made it that way. Sounds delicious.

Unknown said...

I've been in the soup making mood too. Love the color of this soup, so bold and vivid.

Kacey said...

So glad you loved the soup as much as we do! I never knew that snazzy tip about the saran wrap! Thanks for that lovely morsel of knowledge. Can't wait for your Soups On posts - and what an honor to kick start it.
;-) Love ya! Mean it.

Coco said...

This soup with the sandwich you just posted will be the most perfect Sunday lunch on a cold day.

Delish!

Happy weekend, my friend!

Mommy2Twinkies-Deb said...

Sounds like a great recipe. Yum. I like the creaminess without the fat and calories. I'll definitely have to try it.

I'm back again. I think for sure this time! :-)

Mommy2Twinkies-Deb said...

PS-where do you get Hungarian Paprika?

Nicole Feliciano said...

The time for soup is now. And I love that printable recipe feature. May I ask how you do that?

Reeni said...

What a delicious and comforting soup! As a serious soup lover I'm looking forward to your 12 weeks of soup! Such an excellent idea.

The Blonde Duck said...

I love soup!

Scary Mommy said...

Oh, that looks goooood! Does your family know how lucky they are??

Christy said...

Making this now.. so excited for it to be ready. I found the Hungarian Paprika at an upscale grocery store.

Simple Daisy said...

I think it's so funny that you are happy it's cold in Florida!!
I wish I could be happy about the cold here in Indiana...but for us...it's not a cold snap but rather a cold 6 months~~~
I might need to make your soup to get me through the next 2-3 months:)

Brittany said...

Oooh...
This looks divine!

Thanks for visiting my blog last week! Sorry I am just now stopping by your tasty blog.

Everything looks so delish!

Maria said...

Love this! Perfect for a snowy day...like today!

"Guppy" Honaker said...

Now there's a chicken soup to die for!

Keep up the good work on you blog. - David

Aloe Vera 101
Holistic Health Info.
Healthy Recipes

Pam said...

Bookmarked - this looks FANTASTIC, comforting and healthy. Yum.

Christy said...

I have a couple of tips.

We DID love the soup, but we ended up adding cayenne pepper to it. I didn't think it had enough spice. Next time I make it, I will either use the cayenne or white pepper, and use 1/2 the evaporated milk. I did use 50% more tomatoes like you suggested, and I think that made a huge difference.

Thanks so much!!!!!!

Claremont First Ward said...

I love soup and can't WAIT to see them all!

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness. I totally want to make this! Yummy!

Mommy2Twinkies-Deb said...

Steph-just tried this recipe tonight. It was really good! It doesn't look like mine came out as "creamy" as yours, but otherwise, REALLY good. Perhaps it'll be creamier tomorrow. Thanks! It's a keeper.

Mommy2Twinkies-Deb said...

PS-still haven't found that recipe I'm looking for. Grrr. I hate losing a good recipe!

Angela said...

This does look (and sound) truly amazing. I love creamy tomato-ey soups and this looks to die for! I will definitely be following along wtih your soup project!

One of my local lunch places serves a tomato-basil soup with fennel. It is SO yummy. But I do think it is full of fat, which is probably why I love it so. You can see the cream layer floating on top, but I am going to try to recreate a copy-cat recipe that is lower in fat, and this might make a great base for that too.

Hugs girl!

Charlene said...

This looks really good-and I am a "soup person"--any time I have a choice of soup or salad, I go for the soup, every time.

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Anonymous said...

For all of you who haven't tasted this soap... it's AMAZING! They serve it at a Deli in a grocery store where I live called Market of Choice. I plan to make this as the soap at the store is expensive!