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Progresso Sets a New Standard for Ready-Made Broth

MINNEAPOLIS-(Business Wire)-September 4, 2008 - Grandmothers stood over bubbling pots of vegetables, chicken or beef to make broths that would give rich flavor to all their family’s favorite meals. For years, that was the way to achieve wholesome flavor reminiscent of grandmothers’ kitchens, but Progresso is making it easier with the introduction of Progresso chicken broth, reduced sodium chicken broth and beef-flavored broth. Progresso’s broths are all-natural, low-fat and preservative-free, and they will be available at grocery stores nationwide beginning in August 2008. A perennial fan of high-quality ingredients, celebrity chef Michael Chiarello is continuing his partnership with Progresso in helping launch its new line of broths.

“If you want to create beautiful food for your friends and family, the most important thing you can do is start your recipes with the best possible ingredients,” says Chiarello. “Progresso makes it easy to fill your pantry with the very finest ingredients. Now, with Progresso’s new broth, you can make soups, stews, sauces and gravies that your grandmother – and mine – would be proud of without spending hours in the kitchen.”

Chiarello has spent more than 20 years creating and sharing his unique fusion of his Southern Italian heritage and Napa Valley lifestyle. With a focus on exceptional ingredients and creativity, Chiarello shares his secrets for extraordinary food and entertaining made easy. He shares those secrets and recipes at www.ProgressoFoods.com, and he also contributes a signature recipe on each package of Progresso broth.

According to Chiarello, the first step in making great food fast is to rely on high-quality ingredients that can save time without sacrificing flavor – ingredients such as Progresso’s new broths. Like Progresso’s line of premium soups, Progresso broths contain the finest ingredients and combine rich chicken or beef flavor with the perfect blend of seasonings. Even better, Progresso broths have no artificial flavors or preservatives, and they are gluten free and 99 percent fat free.

“For nearly a century, it has been our mission to bring the best possible ingredients to home cooks across America, so it was a natural next step to create a broth with the quality and flavor people have come to expect from Progresso,” says Kathy Heafey, marketing manager for Progresso broth. “With our complete line of ingredients and soups and through our partnership with chef Chiarello, we’re making it easier than ever to bring your family together with a meal that’s both wholesome and delicious.”

The Progresso tradition began in 1905 when a young Sicilian, Vincent Taormina, began a small importing business to bring authentic Italian foods to Italian-American families. Driven by the wartime shortage of imported products, Progresso opened its original manufacturing plant in Vineland, New Jersey, where they created the first Progresso premium soup in 1949, a Minestrone based on an old family recipe. It was the first canned, ready-to-serve soup in America. Today, Progresso continues that tradition with more than 70 premium, ready-to-eat soups including the newest line of light soups.

In addition to soups including its newest line of light soups and broth, Progresso’s line of high-quality ingredients also includes four varieties of bread crumbs; pureed, crushed, diced and whole tomatoes; a variety of beans, including cannellini, chick peas and black beans; marinated and ready-to-serve artichokes; vinegars, such as balsamic and red wine; seafood sauce and tuna. Progresso broth comes in a 32-ounce, resealable aseptic package and will retail for approximately $2.79.

Chicken and Pastina Soup

Recipe by Michael Chiarello for Progresso Foods

A favorite with adults and children alike, this soup is the first “pasta” my young children ever ate, and they’ve loved it since! It is a perfect one-pot supper for the whole family.

Soup Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)

1/2 cup diced carrot (1 medium)

1/2 cup diced celery (1 medium stalk)

1 cup Progresso crushed tomatoes (from 28-oz can)

2 cartons (32 oz each) Progresso chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon gray salt or sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 dried bay leaf

1 cup uncooked acini di pepe pasta or other small round pasta (8 oz)

2 cups chopped, lightly packed mustard greens, spinach, Swiss chard or other greens

1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In 5-quart stockpot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken, onion, carrot and celery; cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender.

2. Stir in tomatoes, broth, salt, pepper and bay leaf; heat to boiling. Stir in pasta; reduce heat.

3. Cover; simmer 15 minutes. Stir in greens just until wilted. Remove bay leaf. Serve with a twist of additional freshly ground pepper and sprinkle of cheese.

10 servings (1 1/2 cups each)

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