Ginger Chicken and Rice Soup with Zucchini

One of the first recipes I posted on my blog was my grandmother's recipe for chicken soup, a recipe I make several times a year. I almost always have a quart or two in the freezer, ready to comfort someone who's not feeling well. But occasionally I like to try something very different, with a contrast of flavors and textures to my standard recipe. This one, with lots of ginger, garlic, and turmeric, and with the added textures of brown rice and zucchini, is heavenly! I served with a side of coleslaw; if I hadn't had that, I might have pulled out some crackers and cheese. But when we had it a second night, we didn't bother with anything on the side, and just finished all the rest of the soup.

 

GINGER CHICKEN AND RICE SOUP WITH ZUCCHINI

lightly adapted from

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1026507-ginger-chicken-and-rice-soup-with-zucchini

4-6 servings

 

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 4 thighs)

Salt and black pepper

2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as canola or vegetable)

2 tablespoons minced ginger (about a 2-inch piece)

3-5 garlic cloves, minced (recipe said 3; I used 5)

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 fresh or dried bay leaf

6 cups chicken broth

½ cup long grain brown rice (raw) (see note below for using short grain rice)

1 large zucchini, cut into ½ inch pieces)

Lemon wedges, chopped cilantro, or chili crisp (or a combination, for serving (see note)

 

Pat the chicken thighs dry and season with salt and pepper.

 

Heat a medium Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot over medium. Add the oil, ginger, garlic and turmeric and let the mixture sizzle and soften for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

 

Add 6 cups broth to the pot, along with the chicken, rice, bay leaf and a big pinch of salt. (Hold zucchini.) Bring to a simmer then turn the heat down to low and cook, stirring occasionally. Add zucchini about 15 minutes in. Then, cook another 15 minutes or so, until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through.

 

When ready to serve, remove the chicken and place it on a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the thighs, then return the meat with all of its juices to the pot.

 

To serve, divide the soup among bowls and top with any combination of chile crisp, lemon and cilantro.

 

Notes

• CHOPPING GARLIC/GINGER: When chopping this much garlic/ginger, I like to use a mini-chopper like this one. (The chopper is also great for chopping a cup of nuts.)
• RICE: I mostly use short grain brown rice—I like the texture better—but I happened to have long grain on hand, and thought it would be nice in the soup, and it was. If you use short grain, I suggest heating up the chicken broth and then cooking the rice for 10 minutes before adding the chicken and other ingredients. If you prefer white rice, I'm sure the soup would work with that also; it would just need a shorter cooking time, maybe 10 minutes into the broth simmer.
• ADD-INS: I used lemon and cilantro, and would definitely do again. Next time, I may also try chile crisp, which I’ve never used. You can see it floating on the soup in the photo that heads up the recipe.

 

 

Baked Ziti

This recipe caught my eye as something that would work well to bring to a potluck, or to bring around to the home of someone who might need a meal. Also, it has the wide appeal of lasagna, but is much easier to make. It can be made ahead and re-heated, and if you don’t eat it all, what’s left can be frozen for later. If you don’t want to make the full recipe, you can halve it and use an 8x8” square pan. 

The recipe calls for ziti pasta, which wasn’t available in my grocery store. I used rigatoni instead, which was just fine, and I assume other tubular pasta (penne, mostaccioli) would also work just as well. 

 

The recipe calls for a pound of ground beef, but the head note mentioned that the author had also made it without meat and it was also good that way. Since I was preparing it for a vegetarian meal, I left out the meat. I didn’t change anything else, so the sauce was just the sautéed onion and the tomato sauce. The dish was a big hit (including a teenager asking her mom to please get the recipe), so I’m inclined to do it exactly the same way next time. Another option would be to keep it vegetarian, but add a diced green pepper and maybe some minced carrots with the onion.

 

About the tomato sauce: I used Rao’s homemade marinara sauce, which was selected by wirecutter.com as the best all-purpose marinara sauce. It’s also conveniently available at my local Aldi store.

 

One small caution: My large pan was 9x12” rather than 9x13.” Without the meat, the recipe filled it to the brim. If you make it with meat, or even with more vegetables, I’d suggest not going smaller than a 9x13 pan.

 

OK, a long introduction for a short, simple recipe!

  

BAKED ZITI

slightly adapted from https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/11758/baked-ziti-i/

10 servings

1 pound dry ziti (or other tubular) pasta

1 onion, chopped 

1 pound lean ground beef (can be left out)

2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce

6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced

1 ½ cups sour cream

6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (I used more than this)

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter (or spray oil) a 9x13-inch baking dish.

 

Put a large pot of water on to boil. While the water is coming to a boil, brown ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium heat; stir in spaghetti sauce and simmer for 15 minutes. 

 

In the meantime, when the water has come to a boil, add the pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain. (If the pasta is ready before the sauce, run cold water over it in the strainer, to stop the cooking.)

 

Spread 1/2 of the pasta in the bottom of the prepared dish. Top with slices of Provolone cheese. Put spoonfuls of sour cream on top of the cheese, and then use a knife or spatula to spread out the sour cream over the cheese.

 

Add 1/2 of the sauce, remaining pasta, mozzarella cheese, and remaining sauce. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

 

Bake in the preheated oven until heated through and cheeses have melted, about 30 minutes.