Rao's Beans and Escarole Soup

With our lemon chicken we had a very easy soup from the cookbook Recipes from the Neighborhood. I am a big fan of soups. Typically they are very easy to make and add a lot to a meal. My wife chose and made this one.

Rao’s Escarole and Bean Soup

½ cup olive oil
4 cups cannelloni beans, boiled (or substitute canned)
2 bunches escarole
1-2 cups chicken broth
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste
Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese for topping

Wash escarole in cold water. Cut off tough stem end and remove any damaged leaves. Tear into medium sized pieces and boil in salted water for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and submerge in cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain. Squeeze the excess water out and blot dry. You can cover and refrigerate the escarole if not needed immediately.
Mince 4 cloves of garlic. Heat olive oil in a pan and sauté for a minute or two. Add beans, broth, escarole, salt and pepper. Cook a few minutes until the entire soup is warm. To serve top with freshly grated pecorino romano cheese.

Lemon Chicken on the Grill

I got a new cookbook a while ago. It is from the guy who owns Rao's in NYC and its called Recipes from the Neighborhood. We made a few things out of it recently. We really liked the lemon chicken from the original Rao's cookbook and Recipes from the Neighborhood has an adaptation for the grill. I changed a couple things around to make it easier for us to make.

Rao's Lemon Chicken on the Grill

3 chicken breasts with bone and skin
1 1/2 cups lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c olive oil
2 T red wine vinegar
1 t salt
1/2 t oregano
1/4 t black pepper
3 T fresh chopped Italian parsley

Dump all of the marinade ingredients into a measuring cup and stir. Leave the parsley out, because it is just for the garnish at the end. Put the chicken in a ziplock bag and pour half of the marinade into the bag, saving the other half for later. Marinate for at least an hour. Overnight is probably better if you can swing it. Grill chicken very well, 35 or 40 minutes until the skin is slightly charred all over. Meanwhile put the reserved marinade into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until it is reduced by half. To serve, put the chicken on a platter. Pour the boiled down marinade over and sprinkle with parsley.