How do you make the best.....

[IloveMikeD*]

Hey you guys I really love Chicken soup but how do you make the best chicken soup ever?

[rootsound1]

Chicken meat,fat,and salt.Ohn and water of course! boil that stuff and you'll have good soup.

I made pork soda once,I used a litre of hot carbonated water and a pack of pork stuff from the Top Ramen!

[ms.peachy]

Now that the cooler weather is upon us (well, those of us in the northern hemisphere at least), I will be making a lot of roast chickens, and following that, lots of chicken soup!

For me, chicken soup starts with making the broth. On roughly every other Sunday, I make a whole roast chicken. (Free range, organic, of course. Happy chickens that have had a happy chicken life, not poor battery birds that have never known the sunshine and run around the farmyard doing all the appropriate chickeny things.) That's usually good for a dinner and a packed lunch the next day for each of us.

But after all that of course there is still that fantastic carcass and all the bones left over, and it's shameful to waste that. So on Monday evening, I boil that down to make soup stock.

Here's what you do:
-First, pick off all the little bits of meat that are left and put them aside. (I make the stock on Monday and the soup on Tuesday, so I pick off the meat bits and put them into an airtight container in the fridge to use the next day.)
-Second, take the biggest pot you've got and sautee some onions, celery and garlic in some oil until soft.
-Chuck in your carcass and bones.Roughly chop a carrot or two and an onion and throw that in too. (Throw in the onion skins, too - they will give the stock a lovely golden colour.)
-Add whatever herbs you like. I usually use parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. (Are you going to Scarborough Faire?) A small handful of bay leaves is also recommended. I generally put in a tiny bit (1/2 tsp) of these dried chipotle peppers I have a bag of as well - not to make it spicy, but that little bit just gives a really nice, smoky depth to the overall flavour. Salt and pepper too, of course.
-Put in about 6 cups of water - this should be enough to just about submerge the carcass, give or take, depending on your pot. (You want the water to at least mostly cover the ingredients.)
-Bring the whole thing to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat, and allow it to simmer for at least 2 hours.
-After the cooking time, you will need to let it cool a bit. Once it has cooled, strain, it through a collander, then through as fine a strainer as you have available to you. I do this in three steps: first the drainer I use for spaghetti, then a finer one, and then finally through a very fine one (like a tea strainer).
-Once it is strained, put your broth into an airtight container and refrigerate.
Next day:
-When you take the broth you have made out of the fridge, you will notice that an oily layer of fat has congealed on the top of the liquid. Carefully skim this fat off. Not only will your soup then be lower-fat and healthier, but the thing is, if you don't do this, your soup in the end will have kind of an oily texture that isn't quite so pleasant really.

To make the soup:
-Using your big pot again, sautee some chopped onions, garlic and celery in oil until soft. (BTW - these three ingredients are called 'aromatics' and are largely the basis for many, many soups and stews. They are your friends.)
-Add whatever dried herbs you wish to use. I go with a bit of the ones I've already mentioned above. (No chipotle peppers this time, though.)
- If you want your soup to be a bit 'thicker' (ie, less 'watery'), put in about 2 tablespoons of flour at this point and stir, coating the onions etc. Add about a cup of the broth and stir. It will be a little thick and gluey-looking at this point but do not worry, that;s normal.
- Add in 3 cups of roughly chopped carrot, parsnip, turnip - whatever combination of veg you want to use (except green leafys- not yet for these, stay tuned.)
-Add 1/2 cup of uncooked rice. (I recommend using brown rice, as white rice as just about zero nutritional value, and even less taste.)
-Add the rest of your stock.
-Bring the whole thing to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for about a half hour.
-Add your chicken meat bits and any leafy greens you might be using (I usually use some chopped kale and parsley).
-Simmer for 10 more minutes or until rice is fully cooked.
-Add salt and pepper ot taste.

Serve with some nice hearty thick slices of bread and butter and a side salad.

Yum!

[Parkey]

Cheers for that ms peachy! I shall be using that after my SUnday lunch tomorrow (y)

[like2_drink]

Hey you guys I really love Chicken soup but how do you make the best chicken soup ever?


you let me make it for you :cool:

[ms.peachy]

Cheers for that ms peachy! I shall be using that after my SUnday lunch tomorrow (y)

good luck with it Parkey. It is a lot of work I know but I feel it's worth the effort. I also feel like, as a meat eater, there's a responsibility to appreciate the animal and use all that is usuable, not to be wasteful and think of what can still be useful as 'disposable' - I'm by no means a vegetarian but I have a lot of respect for an animal's life and the fact that when it is surrendered for my sustenance, I ought to be grateful and behave in an honourable way by not casually discarding any parts that could still provide nourishment. I don't know if I'm explaing that very well, hope it makes some kind of sense anyway.

[cosmo105]

I made pork soda once,I used a litre of hot carbonated water and a pack of pork stuff from the Top Ramen!
*barfs*

[jabumbo]

OMG! i love chicken soup!

[Parkey]

good luck with it Parkey. It is a lot of work I know but I feel it's worth the effort. I also feel like, as a meat eater, there's a responsibility to appreciate the animal and use all that is usuable, not to be wasteful and think of what can still be useful as 'disposable' - I'm by no means a vegetarian but I have a lot of respect for an animal's life and the fact that when it is surrendered for my sustenance, I ought to be grateful and behave in an honourable way by not casually discarding any parts that could still provide nourishment. I don't know if I'm explaing that very well, hope it makes some kind of sense anyway.

It went down a treat and it made loads. Nice one ms.peachy, I salute you!

[beastiegirrl101]

I have a fab recipe for creamy tomato basil soup if anyone is interested...holla. ;)

[Beth]

I have a fab recipe for creamy tomato basil soup if anyone is interested...holla. ;)
holla

[beastiegirrl101]

INGREDIENTS:
4 tomatoes - peeled, seeded and diced
4 cups tomato juice
14 leaves fresh basil
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste


DIRECTIONS:
Place tomatoes and juice in a stock pot over medium heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. Puree the tomato mixture along with the basil leaves, and return the puree to the stock pot.
Place the pot over medium heat, and stir in the heavy cream and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Do not boil.


* Top it off with a grilled cheese oh man, you'll love it. ;)