Italian Chicken Pastina Soup (aka Italian Nonna's Penicillin Soup)

Italian Chicken Pastina Soup (aka Italian Nonna's Penicillin Soup)

from thecafesucrefarine.com

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 large onion, diced small
  • 1 large shallot, finely chopped
  • 4 stalks celery, diced small
  • 1 large yellow bell pepper, diced small
  • 4 medium cloves garlic, minced
  • 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth, maybe more
  • 1 pound carrots, diced small
  • 1 parmesan rind, (optional)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste
  • ⅓ cup uncooked pastina, tiny pasta, double if you like a lot of pasta
  • 2½ -3 cups rotisserie or leftover chicken
  • grated Parmesan, for serving
  • finely chopped fresh rosemary and/or fresh thyme leaves

Directions

  1. 1

    Heat a large Dutch oven or soup pot or medium heat. Add the oil, butter, onion, shallot, celery and bell pepper and stir to combine. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the onions are translucent, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, stir well and cook for another 2 minutes.

  2. 2

    Add the broth, carrots, parmesan rind (if using) and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to a steady simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes (uncovered) or until the veggies are nice and tender.

  3. 3

    With a slotted spoon, removed 2 cups of the diced veggies and set aside.

  4. 4

    With an immersion blender (or a regular blender) puree the broth/veggie mixture in the pot until smooth.

  5. 5

    ****NOTE: If you use a regular blender, be sure to let the mixture cool down a bit before blending. Also, remove the center cap on the blender top and cover it with a clean kitchen towel or several thicknesses of paper towels. This will allow the heat to vent and prevent it from building up.

  6. 6

    Add the pasta, bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook, uncovered for whatever the time on your bag or box of pastina instructs. (Acini de pepe takes 9 minutes.)

  7. 7

    Add the rotisserie (or leftover) chicken and the reserved veggies. Stir to combine. Cover and allow the soup to rest for 20 minutes.

  8. 8

    Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt if needed.

  9. 9

    Serve with grated parmesan, a scatter of finely chopped fresh rosemary or fresh thyme leaves (or both) and fresh ground black pepper. Enjoy!