Yield: 4 Servings

George’s at the Cove, San Diego

Circa 2012: I first had this around 2012, but I’m sure it’s been around for a long time. This is an absolutely fantastic flavorful soup. The recipe is published in a bunch of places and it is well worth the effort to make. I’m not sure how important it is to use smoked chicken. You might get by with a dash of liquid smoke. Smoke flavor is not particularly prominent to me.

• ½cup (8 TBS) unsalted butter
• ½cup diced carrots
• ½cup diced onions
• ½cup diced celery
• 1cup broccoli stems, peeled & diced
• 2tsp dried thyme
• 2tsp dried oregano
• 1tsp dried sweet basil
• ¼cup dry white wine
• 4cups chicken stock, hot. See note below.
• 1TBS Worcestershire sauce
• ½tsp Tabasco sauce
• 1cup cooked black beans
• 1cup broccoli florets
• 2cups heavy cream
• 2TBS cornstarch mixed with a small amount of warm water (optional)
• salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 1cup diced smoked chicken, see below

Note: This is a restaurant recipe and they are using homemade stock which is very gelatinous. If you are using canned stock, add 3 or 4 packets (7.5 – 10 tsp) of unflavored gelatin to the stock and let it bloom for ten minutes before heating.  This is important to the final texture of the soup.

In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt 1/4 cup (4 TBS) butter. When it stops foaming, sauté carrots, onion, celery and broccoli stems for 5 minutes.

Add thyme, oregano and basil; sauté 5 minutes more.

Add wine and de-glaze pan. Add hot chicken stock and reduce by one-third.

Add Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, smoked chicken, beans, broccoli florets: simmer for 5 minutes.

Add cream, simmer for 5 minutes more and season to taste (thickening with cornstarch slurry if desired).

Drop in remaining butter, piece by piece, stirring until melted and serve immediately.

For the smoked chicken:

On a covered grill, slightly smoke boneless chicken until fully cooked (about 30 mins.) George’s chef uses apple-wood chips and does not allow the grill to become too hot.

Note: You might try a couple of drops of liquid smoke on slowly sauteed chicken.