Monday, November 9, 2009

Mediterranean Chicken Soup

It was actually a balmy 18C today. However, a week or so ago, it was getting cold and I was watching an episode of Chef at Home, in which Michael Smith was making a Mediterranean chicken soup. I thought it'd be nice to try another version of chicken soup, even though I really enjoy my tried and tested homemade recipe. I was not 100% sure how I would feel about ingredients such as red pepper and olives in chicken soup, but it was enjoyable and I would definitely add this to my soup rotation.


Mediterranean Chicken Soup
Adapted from Chef at Home.
I searched in vain for Israeli couscous. I decided to replace it with barley and really enjoyed it - I've been adding barley to other soups as well. I also reduced the amount of garlic and chicken (the original recipe uses a whole chicken). Otherwise, the quantities can be taken as suggestions - I only used half a head of fennel (leftover from the homemade ketchup).

* oil
* 1 onion, peeled and chopped
* 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 head fennel, chopped
* 1 zucchini, chopped
* 1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
* 2-3 fresh tomatoes, chopped
* salt and pepper, to taste
* 1 L (4 cups) homemade chicken broth, or store-bought
* 1 cup barley
* 2 bay leaves
* 1 tbsp dried oregano
* 6 sprigs fresh thyme
* dried chili flakes
1 cup chicken, cooked
* 1 can chick peas, drained (398mL)
* a handful of olives, pits removed

In a large pot, add some oil and turn on the heat.
Cook the onion and garlic until softened.
Add the chopped vegetables: fennel, zucchini, red pepper and tomatoes.
Season with salt and pepper.
Once the vegetables have softened a bit, pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil.
Add the barley, bay leaves, oregano, thyme and dry chili flakes.
Once the barley is cooked, add the chickpeas, olives and chicken until heated through.
If the soup is too thick, add water.
Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly.

IMG_9111 IMG_9112
Ingredients for the soup.

This chicken soup is definitely colourful!

For other chicken soup recipes to keep you warm:
* Bún Gà Xả (Lemongrass Chicken Soup)
* Cháo Gà (Chicken Porridge)
* Homemade Chicken Soup
* Miến Gà (Vietnamese Chicken Bean Thread Noodle Soup)


Peggy said...

definitely interesting ingredients in there! I'll have to try it soon!

Gastronomer said...

It's not Canadian cold in SoCal, but I could still go for some soup! This one looks terrific! Mmm, barley!

Linda said...

That's some old fennel...