One Perfect Bite: a place at the table

Friday, February 8, 2013

Frugal Foodie Friday - Garlic Soup with Spinach

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This simple and inexpensive soup is another of the recipes that I found while doing research for the SNAP challenge. It is perfect for lunch or a light supper and I suspect the addition of a small amount of chicken or sausage would make it an acceptable meal for even the most committed of carnivores. The recipe was developed by Martha Rose Shulman and I found it in The New York Times. I have made it several times since my discovery, but to control costs and keep this recipe within the realm of possibility for the challenge, I used powdered chicken bouillon rather than stock or broth. I suspect it would be even more wonderful with a strong homemade chicken or turkey broth. The only caution I have to share with you regarding the soup is timing. It is important to have all the ingredient in place and ready to go when you start the soup. It is equally important to get it to the table as soon as it is done. The soup has glorious color, but if the spinach sits too long in the hot stock it will become muddy. If you are an old hand at tempering eggs, you'll have no problem with the recipe, but should the eggs scramble on you, don't stress. The soup will still be delicious, though it will not be as pretty. While the recipe calls for a bouquet garni, we no longer need a cheesecloth purse to contain herbs and spices. Just place them in a paper coffee filter and tie the resulting pouch. Voila! This is a delicious soup and I do hope you will try it. The recipe appears below. Before ending tonight's post I wanted to let you know that Peter Pringle's book, A Place At The Table, is now available on Amazon. The book is the companion piece to chef Tom Colicchio's movie, A Place at the Table, which examines hunger in America. The movie will be opening on the 1st of March, and the following preview gives a thoughtful overview of a problem that many do not know exists. You can see the preview, here. I hope you'll be able to see the movie.

Garlic Soup with Spinach...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Martha Rose Shulman and the New York Times

Ingredients:
1-1/2 quarts chicken stock, turkey stock, vegetable stock, or water
A bouquet garni made with a bay leaf and a couple of sprigs each thyme and parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
1/2 cup elbow macaroni
2 eggs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan (1 ounce)
1 6-ounce bag baby spinach, or 12 ounces of bunch spinach, stemmed, washed, dried and coarsely chopped

Directions:
1) Place stock or water in a large saucepan or soup pot with bouquet garni. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Bring to a simmer and add garlic. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add pasta and simmer 5 minutes, until cooked al dente. Remove bouquet garni.
2) Beat eggs in a bowl and stir in 1/3 cup of stock, making sure that it is not boiling, and cheese.
3) Stir spinach into the simmering stock and simmer for 1 minute. Drizzle in egg mixture, scraping all of it in with a rubber spatula. Turn off heat and stir very slowly with spatula, paddling it back and forth until eggs have set. Taste, adjust seasoning, and serve at once. Yield: 4 servings.