Personalised Macaroni Soup

It's my first time trying this brand of pasta called "Liguori" (on the left). It cost only about 4.25RM which is a really only about 1.8SGD. A real steal I think, for pasta from Italy. Got it from the Carrefour nearby.

Made my 1st Macaroni (more like Elbows) soup today,

Here's kinda like a list of what I used for a 2 person serving

-Two Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary

-Handful of Thai Basils, chopped finely

-Quarter Chicken with skin, diced

(I left the drumstick intact)

-900ml water

-1 Carrot, diced

-1 Potato, diced

-3 Big Fresh Shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced (*heavenly*)

-1 Onion, finely chopped

-3-4 cloves of Garlic, finely chopped

-Knob of unsalted butter

-2-3 pinches of Himalayan Rock salt

-1 teaspoon Chicken stock powder

-Dash of Black Pepper

-Extra Virgin Olive oil

-1/2 cup Grated Parmesan

-100ml Low fat milk

-About 100g Elbows pasta per person

Basically, I marinated the diced chicken with some extra virgin olive oil and the chopped basil. The olive oil prevents the basils from turning black upon oxidation introduced by chopping and it retains the flavors of the leaves. It happens that I was growing two pots of Thai basils and they were growing pretty lush and beautiful, to not use them is a waste. The Rosemary was also from my garden so they're really fresh!

Once the garlic, onions, potato, carrot, mushroom and chicken are prepared, heat up the frying pan. Oil the pan with a knob of butter and when slightly frothy & fragrant, add the garlic & onion with few pinches of salt & pepper. I left them frying till they were slightly golden and when I could smell their fragrance I added the chicken and diced vegetables. It got a little dry at this point so I added a little more butter. My mouth was watering to the scent of the beautiful flavours. When the carrots were softer and the chicken semi-cooked, I tossed the Shiitake mushrooms in. Frying for another 5 mins or so, I grated a good handful of Parmesan over it and continued. But it's best not to add too much cheese at this point or it'll stick like the Stir-fried Pea Pasta I made previously.

On another stove, I set 900ml of water boiling with the Rosemary sprigs in. I later realised it's better to put them into a bag as you wouldn't want to pick the leaves out while dining. Once the water's boiling and the ingredients in the pan are done, transfer them into the boiling water which is insanely aromatic with the Rosemary. Gently stir all the ingredients in and add a teaspoon of chicken stock. I brought the soup to boil before pouring in 100ml of low fat milk and also the remaining Parmesan. So when it's boiling and piping hot, it's ready to serve.. with or without pasta.

I boiled my pasta separately as I like my pasta al dente.. couldn't imagine them turning soggy inside. Besides the other serving is meant to be consumed later so I'll boil the pasta fresh and throw it into a bowl of the above soup when about to serve.

Another note is that I refused to use full cream milk or other heavier cream products for this soup as my mother hates milk and too creamy soup base. She doesn't like tomato soup base too. So in order to cater to her taste buds, only a teeny weeny bit of dairy products were used. I guess you can say it's a more asian version of soup pastas compared to the other creamier and thicker versions of soups.

For cheese freaks who like a stronger tasting soup, I think this recipe may still appeal provided a wedge of Parmesan is supplied for diy grating. And also, this soup must be served hot and fresh!! The moment this soup turns cold is when the nuances of its flavours diminishes. So yup, this is perfect for a cool summer day brunch I believe when you don't want to choke on dry hard stuff on the first meal of the day.

This is also the first time I cooked with Rosemary and I think I've fallen in love with this amazing herb. I believe I'm going to use it a lot more often provided my Rosemary plants grow fast enough. This recipe I used today is not strictly following those of soup pastas I found online but rather a fusion of influences. I once made a cream based pasta which marinated the diced chicken with chopped fresh Basil and dried Parsley flakes together with finely chopped onion and garlic. The original recipe that was based on used garlic powder and the dried Basils and Parsley. But since I left my Parsley in Singapore, it was omitted. Also, the recipe I found online for soup pastas fried the soup ingredients which is consistent with another cream based pasta (I prefer Fusilli here & packed the pasta & sauce separately for picnics) recipe I made previously. Lastly, Jamie Oliver! A couple of months back, I vaguely remember him using Rosemary to make chicken soup. So I reckon it would be a merry combination. As for for what accounts for the Shiitake mushrooms, it just happens I'm a hobbit and liked it there.

Perhaps the next recipe to try might be an oven roast chicken with rosemary and baby potatoes. How does it sound? Yummy? Heh. You bet. It's gonna be a very Jamie Oliver dish.