Assembly-Style Soup

Serves 6

This main course is a lot of fun. Place a large platter of ingredients in the middle of the table and let your guests select the combination of ingredients they like in their bowl. Ladle hot broth over the ingredients, and the dish is done.

3 tablespoons canola oil
3 boneless, skinless single chicken breasts, 6 to 8 ounces each
1 pound dried Chinese egg noodles
6 baby bok choy, halved lengthwise
1 head of broccoli, cut into small florets
8 ounces snow peas, stemmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup thinly sliced green onion
8 ounces firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch dice
8 cups canned low-salt chicken broth

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sauté the chicken breasts, turning occasionally, until opaque throughout, about 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Tear or chop into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

In a large pot of boiling water, cook the noodles until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and toss lightly with the remaining oil. Set aside.

In another pot of boiling water, blanch the baby bok choy for 2 minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water. Repeat with the broccoli, cooking for 5 minutes. Repeat with the snow peas, cooking for 1 minute.

On a large platter, arrange the chicken, noodles, bok choy, broccoli, snow peas, mushrooms, carrot, green onion, and tofu in bowls or mounds. wrap with plastic and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 4 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. In a large pot, heat the chicken broth until boiling. Ladle over the ingredients in each guest's bowl, or pour into a tureen and place on the table near the platter of food.

Buy the Book!

from:
At Home with Friends
Spontaneous Celebrations for Any Occasion
by Michele Adams and Gia Russo
Photographs by Victoria Pearson
Chronicle Books
ISBN: 0811833445
$22.95 Paperback
188 pp; 80 color photographs
Recipe reprinted by permission.