Copycat Carrabbas Mama Mandolas Chicken Soup Recipes

Steps:

• Dice celery, carrots, onion, potatoes and bell pepper into 1/4-inch pieces. Chop tomatoes; reserve all juice.
• Place vegetables, tomatoes with their juice, chicken pieces, parsley and garlic in a 10-quart stockpot. Add water. Season with salt and pepper.
• Slowly bring soup to a boil over low heat. Skim off foam that rises to the surface; may have to skim 2 or 3 times.
• Partially cover pot and simmer 2 hours. When soup is finished, remove chicken pieces with a slotted spoon.
• Let cool.Meanwhile, mash vegetables in the bottom of the pot with the back side of a large cooking spoon or a potato masher.
• When chicken has cooled enough to handle, remove skin and bones and return meat to soup.
• Notes: Soup is best served the day after it is made. Refrigerate and remove fat that solidifies on the surface of the soup.
• Serve soup with rice or small, stubby pasta such as pastina, tubetti or small elbow macaroni. For better flavor, cook the rice or pasta in the soup when reheating. Add freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, if desired.

Steps:

• In a large stockpot (16 quart minimum / 20 quart recommended) heat olive oil under fairly low to medium heat.
• "Sweat" onion, celery, green pepper and some salt (to draw off moisture) for perhaps 30 minutes -- this is lower than browning, and makes the veggies somewhat translucent. I covered, and mixed every few minutes to prevent browning.
• Add carrots, garlic, some white pepper and some black pepper, and continue to heat under "sweat" conditions while mixing now and then.
• Add chicken stock, chicken breasts, tomatoes and potatoes -- and of course some more white pepper and black pepper.
• Cover and simmer on low heat for 1.5 to 2 hours (or use crock pot?).
• Remove chicken and let cool and stand to shred.
• Add chopped parsley and return the shredded chicken to the soup.
• Salt to taste at this point, and add more white and black pepper if your tongue is not twitching a bit when you sample. ;-).
• Simmer while cooking ditalini (or other stubby pasta).
• Serve soup over cooked pasta to taste.
• Note: Like many soups, this may be better made the day before and then served when needed. We will freeze some for ready-made meals and I think it will work out well.