Weeknight Chicken Soup
There is nothing more nourishing and comforting than a bowl of good homemade chicken soup.
I made my first batch of chicken stock a couple of months ago (it is amazing that it took me this long to do it -- I'm almost 40!).
Anyway, it was not very difficult and it was delicious. Here is the link to the recipe: http://ammichaels.livejournal.com/233245.html
I froze the stock into cubes using a few ice trays. The next day, I popped the cubes out and threw them into a Ziploc freezer bag -- for easy access so I can add homemade stock to various stews and soups and sauces.
Tonight I didn't feel like cooking. However, I am tired (sleep deficit from Kate's growth spurt -- she's been getting up between 4:30 and 6:30 am). Plus I just found out Alla (our nanny) is sick with the flu. I want to make sure I don't get sick (and transmit to Kate). I need to eat well, rest and reserve my strength to fight off any germs.
So I decided to make some "weeknight" chicken soup. I couldn't believe how easy it was.
1. I put a saucepan on the stove, set it on medium heat.
2. I rinsed and sliced one carrot and one stick of celery. I didn't feel like chopping garlic or onion (too lazy) so I didn't (but I could have added 1/2 onion and 1 clove garlic, had I had the energy and inclination).
3. I tossed a pat of raw cultured butter (which I got from Rawesome yesterday -- Seth had one taste of the cultured raw butter and now insists upon it) into the saucepan, followed by the carrot and celery.
4. While I let those soften (5 minutes or so), I cubed a couple of boneless chicken thighs. You could also use boneless chicken breasts. Threw the cubes into a cast iron skillet on medium heat with another pat of butter. Cover and cook through.
5. While the chicken was cooking, I tossed 10 frozen chicken broth cubes into the saucepan with the celery and carrots -- and covered. Brought to a boil then turned down the heat to simmer.
6. Went outside to get some parsley. Rinse and chop. (Oh, right, you have to grow your own parsley. But you should! If you don't have parsley growing, it's OK -- you can skip it.)
7. Take chicken off heat, drain on paper towel, add to soup.
8. Add sea salt and chopped parsley (just a smidge of each) to soup.
So delicious. And so comforting on a cool fall night. Not to mention incredibly nutritious.
And easy enough to do on a Thursday. I ate mine plain with a glass of rose but you could add noodles or eat with some sourdough bread and butter.
Of course there are a million variations on chicken soup from many cultures around the world (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_soup).
Isn't it nice to know that it's so easy to do on a weeknight? Or at a moment's notice when someone you know is sick?
I'm going to make some for Alla for lunch on Monday
Now I'm going to have just a tad more wine then a nice glass of milk and go to bed. My goal is to start going to bed no later than 9 pm. If I'm going to be up at the crack of dawn with This Lady, I need to get my rest!
I made my first batch of chicken stock a couple of months ago (it is amazing that it took me this long to do it -- I'm almost 40!).
Anyway, it was not very difficult and it was delicious. Here is the link to the recipe: http://ammichaels.livejournal.com/233245.html
I froze the stock into cubes using a few ice trays. The next day, I popped the cubes out and threw them into a Ziploc freezer bag -- for easy access so I can add homemade stock to various stews and soups and sauces.
Tonight I didn't feel like cooking. However, I am tired (sleep deficit from Kate's growth spurt -- she's been getting up between 4:30 and 6:30 am). Plus I just found out Alla (our nanny) is sick with the flu. I want to make sure I don't get sick (and transmit to Kate). I need to eat well, rest and reserve my strength to fight off any germs.
So I decided to make some "weeknight" chicken soup. I couldn't believe how easy it was.
1. I put a saucepan on the stove, set it on medium heat.
2. I rinsed and sliced one carrot and one stick of celery. I didn't feel like chopping garlic or onion (too lazy) so I didn't (but I could have added 1/2 onion and 1 clove garlic, had I had the energy and inclination).
3. I tossed a pat of raw cultured butter (which I got from Rawesome yesterday -- Seth had one taste of the cultured raw butter and now insists upon it) into the saucepan, followed by the carrot and celery.
4. While I let those soften (5 minutes or so), I cubed a couple of boneless chicken thighs. You could also use boneless chicken breasts. Threw the cubes into a cast iron skillet on medium heat with another pat of butter. Cover and cook through.
5. While the chicken was cooking, I tossed 10 frozen chicken broth cubes into the saucepan with the celery and carrots -- and covered. Brought to a boil then turned down the heat to simmer.
6. Went outside to get some parsley. Rinse and chop. (Oh, right, you have to grow your own parsley. But you should! If you don't have parsley growing, it's OK -- you can skip it.)
7. Take chicken off heat, drain on paper towel, add to soup.
8. Add sea salt and chopped parsley (just a smidge of each) to soup.
So delicious. And so comforting on a cool fall night. Not to mention incredibly nutritious.
And easy enough to do on a Thursday. I ate mine plain with a glass of rose but you could add noodles or eat with some sourdough bread and butter.
Of course there are a million variations on chicken soup from many cultures around the world (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_soup).
Isn't it nice to know that it's so easy to do on a weeknight? Or at a moment's notice when someone you know is sick?
I'm going to make some for Alla for lunch on Monday
Now I'm going to have just a tad more wine then a nice glass of milk and go to bed. My goal is to start going to bed no later than 9 pm. If I'm going to be up at the crack of dawn with This Lady, I need to get my rest!