COMMENT:
Nothing says home cooking like chicken noodle soup. It's the comfort
food that grandma served from her cast iron pot when we were under
the weather..whether we were sick or not. The strange thing about
chicken noodle soup is that, for the experienced cook, it's such
a simple dish, but for the child in us, it's the broth that memories
are made of.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 4 to 5 pound baking hen, cut
- 1 gallon cold water
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 1 rib of celery, diced
- 3 carrots, diced
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 10-12 whole peppercorns
- 1/4 pound butter
- 1 cup diced onions
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
- 1 tbsp chopped garlic
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 quarts reserved chicken stock
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 (12-ounce) bag small seashell noodles
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp chopped, fresh basil
- 1 tsp chopped, fresh thyme
- salt and black pepper to taste
METHOD:
Rinse chicken under cold running water and allow to drain thoroughly. Place the chicken in a large stock pot with water, onions, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaf and peppercorns. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce to simmer, cover and cook 2 to 3 hours until chicken is tender, adding water if necessary. When chicken is tender, remove from stock pot and strain stock. Allow the stock to settle as chicken fat will rise to the surface. Remove the fat and reserve 3 - quarts of the stock. In a heavy-bottom Dutch oven melt butter over medium-high heat. Sauté onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic 3 to 5 minutes, or until vegetables are wilted. Sprinkle in flour and using a wire whisk, blend to create a blond roux, do not brown. Add chicken stock one ladle at a time until all has been incorporated and a soup-like texture is achieved. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce to simmer and cook 15 to 20 minutes. Add more stock if needed to retain volume. De-bone the chicken and set aside. Add carrots and shell noodles. Continue to cook approximately 10 minutes then add the chicken, green onions, parsley, basil and thyme. Season to taste using salt and pepper. The large volume of noodles will give the soup a pasta-like finish. Should you desire less pasta, add half of the package to the pot rather than the whole 12-ounces. |
