Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle soup is that friend you can sit next to without saying a word but still feel relaxed and content with their company. It provides solace on a crummy day and thankfully I have a recipe that is really easy to make if you keep a few key ingredients on hand.

First you need some leftovers from a rotisserie chicken (or you can double the recipe and use a whole one). You also need the jelly from the bottom of the container, the congealed chicken juices are crucial to providing flavor. I talk about Borsari seasoned salt a lot, it may seem expensive but a little bit goes a long way. The citrus blend has lemon peel, garlic, basil, rosemary, and a pinch of nutmeg. It's wonderful. This recipe can be easily adapted based on what you have on hand and your needs, use it as a guide.

What you need:

1 lb of shredded chicken from a rotisserie chicken plus the congealed juices from the bottom of the container.

1 stalk of celery plus leaves, finely chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 tsp Borsari citrus blend

1 tsp dried paisley

2 quarts of low sodium chicken broth

1 Parmesan rind

1 cup of small noodles

salt and pepper

Instead of butter and oil I put a few tbsp of congealed chicken fat/juice on the bottom of a soup pot and add the celery, onion, and carrot. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and soften the vegetables over medium heat, stirring occasionally. After about 5-7 minutes it should be very fragrant and the onions translucent. Next add the Borsari salt (could sub a 1/2 tsp of lemon zest, dried garlic, and pinch of dried basil, and rosemary, and maybe a 1/5 tsp of nutmeg...rough estimate). Cook for one minute then add the broth and chicken. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Drop in the Parmesan rind and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the Parmesan rind and then drop in the noodles and cook according to their package directions. I used rotini and it took about 8 minutes. Time to enjoy : )

Pork and Hominy Stew

This isn't quite pork green chili and it's not quite pozole but it's a little spicy and a lot savory and such a warming comforting bowl of stew. I love using leftover shredded pork from carnitas or leftover shredded pork from a bbq night. If you don't have leftover pulled pork you could easily make this with one of those spicy cilantro chicken sausages that are easy to find in the store these days or some shredded rotisserie chicken. I love hominy, it adds a good amount of starch to the stew without making you feel like a balloon...but I still added one small can of cannellini beans because they are so tasty.

What you need:

All the leftover pork from the carnitas recipe or you could use leftover shredded pork bbq or shredded rotisserie chicken (1-1.5 lbs)

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp oregano

Salt and pepper

2 jalapeño (carefully remove the seeds if you don't want too much spice)

1 poblano pepper

1 small yellow onion

1 finely grated carrot

2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

25 oz can of hominy, rinsed and drained

15 oz can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup of frozen chopped spinach

1/4 cup cilantro

1.5-2 quarts of chicken broth

Begin by chopping your peppers and onions and adding them to a soup pot with a drizzle of oil and some salt and pepper. Begin sweating them over medium heat stirring occasionally. After about 5 minutes add the spices and chopped garlic, and shredded carrot. Add another pinch of salt and pepper. Allow the spices to become very fragrant and and stir so the garlic doesn't burn. After about 3 minutes add the meat and stir to coat it with all of the spices. Now add one quart of broth and the beans and hominy. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add the spinach and cilantro. If you feel it is too thick add more broth. Simmer for 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally so the bottom doesn't burn. Serve with hot sauce, more fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, and your favorite cheese. We used Cotija because we had some leftover from taco night, it's really mild and creamy. Enjoy!

Carnitas

It’s no secret that we love tacos in our house. Honestly, they are a perfect family meal. My kids love them and I love feeding them to the kids. The combination of protein, carb, a little veg….its healthy and yummy. They can assemble them on their own and everyone gets to customize them their own way. For a little variety and an attempt to make life easier this week I decided to make a huge pork shoulder that could be shredded for carnitas tacos and then the next day I could use the leftovers for some variety of pork green chili that we all love. I used my Instant Pot for this recipe to keep the cook time to one hour, it could be adjusted easily for a slow cooker. Let’s start with the tacos.

What you need:

4 lb pork shoulder or pork butt

1 lime

1 orange

4 clove garlic

1 sweet or yellow onion

1 jalapeño, seeds optional if you like heat. I removed them for the kids.

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp cumin

3/4 tsp smoked paprika

salt and pepper

This is SO easy. I used my Instant Pot because I wasn’t organized early enough in the day. You could very easily do this in the slow cooker, but for this size pork shoulder I would allow 8-9 hours on low.

First squeeze the juice of one orange and one lime into the pressure cooker or slow cooker. Now add one whole jalapeño that you have sliced in half and removed the seeds if desired. Add one onion that has been halved or quartered. Add 4 cloves of garlic. Rub the pork all over with the spices. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over. I used a shoulder that had been tied by the butcher, makes it easily transferable to and from the Instant Pot. It’s fine if you don’t have it tied but it will be trickier to remove. Add to the pressure cooker. With the Instant Pot I selected the meat/stew meat option and cooked for 60 minutes and then allowed it to slow release for about 5 minutes before just switching it off on my own. If you are using your slow cooker adjust depending on your personal slow cooker but most of them will probably take 8-9 hours. The pork is finished when it shreds easily with a fork.

Remove the pork and shred the meat with a fork. Discard the soggy pepper and onions but reserve a bit of the juices. Return the pork to a dish with the drippings, so much flavor in that sauce. We like to place it on a baking tray and broil it for 3 minutes to get some of the edges extra crispy, this is optional. Serve with all of your favorite taco toppings. We used Cotija cheese, fresh cilantro, lettuce, and hot sauce.