We don't purchase much in the manner of store-bought soup unless our inventory of frozen soup is depleted. I happen to like soup - bean, clam, oxtail and pea. Factory soup just doesn't make the cut. The family favorite is chicken noodle and I recently cooked-up a batch because we had no inventory. Besides a hearty bowl of this goodness doesn't just taste terrific - it's good for the soul.
Instructions
Start with a bunch of frozen chicken carcasses – eight to
be exact. These are the remnants of
Sunday roast chicken dinners past. Simply bag-up the carcass and other bones and
perhaps a whole thigh, wing or leg. Freeze. Once you have accumulated enough of them –
make soup.
In your largest stock pot
simmer the carcasses in water for most of the day. Give it a stir periodically. Your house will begin to smell deliciously
like chicken and your dogs will begin to drool.
Fish the bones and meat from the stock and set aside. Strain your stock through a fine colander to
capture the smaller remnants of bone, gristle and meat. Return the stock to the pot and place it on the north side of the porch or in the
snow to chill.
This will facilitate the
congealing of the fat making it easier to skim from the surface of your
stock. In the meantime, pick-thru the
bones and fill a bowl with white and dark meat - chill. Peel and chop carrots, celery and onion – set
aside.
After you have skimmed the fat
from the stock return it to the stove top, raise the heat and add the onion. After fifteen minutes add the carrots. Following fifteen minutes add the
celery. Return the meat to your soup and salt to taste. Following fifteen minutes add the chopped
celery leaves and a couple of bags of Kluski-style noodles.
Turn the heat off, cover and let your pot sit
for fifteen more minutes. Finish with
chopped parsley and serve.
Freeze for a
rainy day. Yield is three gallons – give or take.
click on images for a closer look
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