Italian Nonna’s Penicillin Soup (also known as Nonna’s Italian Chicken soup or Italian Nonna’s Pastina Soup) 

Named after Italian Grandmas (nonnas!) this comforting, filling, soothing soup is exactly what you need when you’re feeling a bit under the weather. If you’re cold, or got the flu, or feeling a bit down in the dumps, this Italian Nonna’s Penicillin Soup is exactly what you need.

 It has a base of carrots, onions, garlic, herbs and chicken stock, which is then blended up and added back to the pan. Then you add tiny pasta shapes (pastina) cooked shredded chicken, and a lump of parmesan rind and serve it with extra parmesan cheese and chunks of crusty homemade bread and lashings of butter.

Ingredients for Italian Nonna’s Penicillin Soup / Nonna’s Italian Penicillin Soup

You will need:

• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced into small, even-sized pieces
• 2-3 medium carrots, peeled and diced into small, even-sized pieces
• 2 sticks of celery, washed and diced into small, even-sized pieces
• 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed, or grated using a fine grate setting
• 1 tablespoonful of olive oil, and or a large knob of butter
• 1 chicken stock cube or stock pot, or chicken stock
• Herbes de Provence to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• A small piece of Parmesan rind
• Small pasta shapes like pasta stars, spaghetti broken up into small pieces or orzo
• A little celery salt
• A handful of cooked chicken breast or thighs, shredded
• To serve: Extra finely grated parmesan cheese, and some freshly baked bread and butter

Method for Italian Nonna’s Penicillin Soup

• Add the butter and/or oil into a pan over a lowish heat, along with the celery, carrots, garlic and onion. Sweat gently until the onions, carrots, garlic and celery are glossy and softened.
• Cooking Tip: If it looks like they’re starting to burn or turn brown, turn the heat down.
• Once the vegetables are softened, add enough stock/ water and a stock pot to just cover the vegetables, and stir well.
• Add the herbes de Provence, a sprinkling of celery salt and a little black pepper.
• Bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer until all the vegetables are completely soft. This may take 20-30 mins.
• Take the vegetables out of the pan and put them in a jug or a blender along with about a mugful of the cooking liquor
• Blend using a hand blender or blender until smooth
• Pour the soup back into the pan, and add in the pastina, orzo or spaghetti pieces and a little more water or stock if needed.
• Add the parmesan rind, shredded chicken and cook for about 5-7 mins until the chicken is hot and the pastina is cooked through. If you’re using orzo you may need longer time.
• Once the chicken is hot and the pastina is cooked through, check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.
• Fish out the parmesan rind and discard.
• Serve with extra finely grated parmesan cheese, and some freshly baked bread.

Other Recipes you might like:

https://www.mamacoopskitchen.co.uk/roasted-garlic-and-tomato-soup/  

https://www.mamacoopskitchen.co.uk/chicken-noodle-soup/

 If you would like to buy small pasta, Sainsbury’s sells small pasta stars https://www.sainsburys.co.uk