Chicken Barley Soup with Walnut Pesto: Habanero peppers are fiery hot, so handle them carefully. In this dish, you simply pierce the chile with a fork and float it in the broth as the soup cooks. Remove it with a slotted spoon before serving. If you prefer milder heat, use the same technique with a jalapeño.
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 cups soup and 2 tablespoons pesto)
Ingredients
Soup:
- 5 bacon slices, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
- 2 (4-inch) portobello mushroom caps, chopped
- 1 (3-pound) whole chicken, skinned
- 1 thyme sprig
- 4 1/2 quarts cold water
- 8 ounces Swiss chard
- 1 cup uncooked pearl barley, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
- 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
- 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
- 1/4 cup finely chopped Granny Smith apple
- 1 habanero pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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