Chicken and Israeli Couscous Soup

It's been soup week here. Much of the impetus for me to eat so much soup is that I have this wide array of frozen vegetables. Honestly? I don't know what to do with most frozen vegetables, because I simply don't like most of them. Sure, frozen corn, broccoli, onions, potatoes and spinach are fine. Sometimes I even don't balk too much about frozen green beans, for casseroles or whatever. But the remainder of the vegetables I can think of just... lose something when they're frozen. Anyway, I have some (the bothersome ones in question are carrots). And I'm trying to use them all up before P gets home, so I can start filling the freezer with things we really do like. Soup is the only thing I can think of to use up these frozen carrots. It's way, way, way too hot for soup, but I'm just using the fan while I eat. This soup, however, made the carrots stop being distasteful to me, and now I see their purpose in the world.

2 cups chicken (mixed colours), cut into chunks
1 small bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
4 whole cloves garlic
1 stalk celery, cut into 1-2" chunks
1 shallot, quartered
2 bouillon cubed
5 cups water

1/3 cup israeli couscous
1 cup frozen carrots
water if needed

Add the first group of ingredients to a saucepan and simmer for 40 minutes. Add the couscous and carrots, then cook an additional 20 minutes. If you need more water, add it and cook a little longer. Serves 2.

Comments

  1. Astra Libris6:35 PM

    Your soup sounds divine - I love Israeli couscous! I completely sympathize with trying to cook for just yourself and use up leftovers while your guy is out of town... I'm in the same boat at the moment... Hang in there... Your recipe creativity is to be admired - you certainly elevated frozen carrots to beautiful heights!

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  2. Anonymous1:44 PM

    We'd like to invite you to participate in our July berry recipe contest. All competitors will be placed on our blogroll, and the winner will receive a fun prize! Please email me, sophiekiblogger@gmail.com, if you're interested. Feel free to check out our blog for more details. (Click on my name in the message header link to visit our blog. :)

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  3. Allie5:14 PM

    Astra,

    Thank you! Fortunately, I'm down to just over three weeks, so now that I'm finally starting to get used to it (and have subsequently learned I could be quite comfortable in a tiny studio apartment, given the amount of space in the house I use now). You're in the same boat, huh? I'm so sorry! Where is yours?

    Thanks! I think the rest of them are going to find themselves in minestrone, as soon as I find a minute to make some.

    Sophie, Than kyou for the invitation. I'll check it out and get back to you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. דורית11:02 PM

    Yum!! I can't wait for fall in oredr to make Couscous (it's way too hot here to even think about w\soup in the summer). Try adding a pinch (and only a pinch) of tumeric. It enhances the soups color. You'll love it

    ReplyDelete
  5. Allie9:56 AM

    Oh, what a great idea! It's the same here - so so so hot it's a struggle just to get any food out of the kitchen. It never occurred to me to use some tumeric, despite the huge bag I have sitting in my pantry. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete

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