A good, basic chicken stock. Much less work if you happen to have the carcass of a chicken you have previously roasted (or turkey). It's just a no-brainer to turn the carcass into stock the next day and is very economical. I roast the chicken on a bed of mirepoix (onion, carrot, celery...rough chop), and strain a cup of white wine through the veggies after the chicken is roasted, then make an "au jus" type of pan gravy with the pan drippings. Any of those leftovers can be used to make the stock the next day. Truly, the chicken being roasted beforehand makes ALL the difference in the depth and richness of flavor in the chicken stock. It usually does need to be refrigerated overnight so it can be de-fatted, reheated, then strained through cheesecloth at least 3 times to clarify the broth. Trust me, that step is worth the effort for a clear, golden broth! Then make chicken noodle or turkey rice soup with the stock. Wonderful, warming, healing soup! Definitely ADD FRESH DILL for the finished soup, and I find the juice of one lemon really brightens the flavor, and has an added punch of vitamin C too! Also, don't salt the broth...wait till you assemble the finished soup and taste to see how much salt it needs, if any. Use a light hand!

Reviewed On: Oct. 14, 2009

A great, hearty, healthy & low-fat soup for a chilly Fall night. Definitely add the zucchini and green beans (I added sliced baby portobello mushrooms also) toward the END of cooking time, not at the beginning, or they'll be mush. I used tiny elbow macaroni instead of broken spaghetti, and cooked it separately before adding to the pot. The tomato-basil pistou definitely makes this soup (and sidenote: try dunking some bread in the pistou before you add it all to the soup...mmm!). On it's own, it's just an ordinary (bit bland) veggie/bean soup but the pistou gives it a great flavour punch. Served with some shavings of a good parm reggiano, crusty bread, and a decent chardonnay, this is a very warming and satisfying meal. Looking forward to taking leftovers for lunch at work this week! (makes a big pot)

Reviewed On: Sep. 28, 2009

This recipe is a slam-dunk winner. Quick and easy to prepare, and mouth-wateringly delicious. Literally, it is heaven on a plate (or in a bowl, if you prefer!). Only changes we made were fresh, finely minced garlic in the gnocchi dough (instead of garlic powder), and used part-skim instead of whole-milk ricotta. For the diced tomatoes in the sauce, we used fire-roasted. Added a nice flavor dimension to the sauce. The dough came together beautifully and was a dream to work with. I know the recipe says "serves 4", but my husband and I almost demolished the entire thing between the two of us with some homemade crusty baguette and a nice bottle of wine. Just a teeny bit left for lunch tomorrow! Thanks for an awesome recipe. I also agree with the poster who said these would make great appetizers, individually skewered. Nice idea!

Reviewed On: Mar. 22, 2009