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L UTHER'S I TALIAN C HICKEN S OUP
Patti: “You know who gave me this fabulous recipe? The one and only velvet-voice Luther Vandross. I love Luther; he and I go way back. And when I say way back, I mean waaaay back. Back in the sixties, when he was just a kid, Luther used to cut school to come to the Apollo Theatre to see Patti LaBelle and The Bluebelles. But seeing us wasn’t enough for Luther. He wanted to meet us. So badly, in fact, that he concocted this ingenious plan to get backstage. Luther told Peter Long, the Apollo’s public relations director at the time, that he was writing a school report on The Bluebelles and if he didn’t get an interview with us he would flunk. Even back then, Luther was so smooth and charming and convincing that Peter bought the story hook, line and sinker. While I was running an errand at the time, Luther got his interview with Sarah and Nona. Even then he had chutzpa.
“Not long after the interview, Luther and his friend choreographer Bruce Wallace started the first Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles Fan Club. Bruce was the first president, with Luther serving as his vice president. Of course, these days I’m the (unofficial) president of the Luther Vandross Fan Club. Boyfriend can sing. A voice like Luther’s – silken, sexy, smooth – that doesn’t come along often, as evidenced by all of his hits (too many to count) and awards (Do you store them in a warehouse, honey?) Not only can he sing, but as anyone who has ever seen Luther perform can tell you , Boyfriend can work a stage. What you may not know is that he can also work a stove. Since he learned he was diabetic, however, Luther has been into healthier cooking and eating. But don’t take my word for it. Try Luther’s Italian Chicken Soup recipe. When you taste it, you’ll be singing his praises.
I NGREDIENTS:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
½ cup chopped celery
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground chicken
Two 14.5 ounce cans no-salt-added stewed tomatoes, undrained
One 14.5 ounce can reduced-sodium fat-free chicken broth
One 8 ounce can no-salt-added tomato sauce
One 4 ounce jar chopped or sliced pimientos, drained
½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup uncooked rotini pasta
D IRECTIONS:
Coat a large soup pot with fat-free cooking spray and add olive oil. Heat oven medium heat until the oil is hot. Add the onion, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are just tender, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until the chicken is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Pour off any fat.
Stir in the stewed tomatoes, broth, tomato sauce, pimientos, Italian Seasoning, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and return to boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the pasta is just tender, about 15 minutes.
Patti’s Pointers: When Luther makes his delicious Italian chicken soup, he uses rotini, but I make it with stelline because it means “star” – like the super talented one he is.
Per serving 250 calories, 24 g protein, 27 g carbohydrate, 6 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 50 mg cholesterol, 3 g dietary fiber, 850 mg sodium
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