Sunday, September 26, 2010

It’s Chicken soup season again…

I have a terrible cold, which I’m pretty sure can be traced back to a communal bowl of jellybeans in a local store… As if I didn’t know better. (Only free candy can come between me and my germ phobia.) The good news for me is that this is a timely opportunity for me to check another recipe off my list; I’m making chicken soup. 

The most important ingredient is, of course, the chicken. I use whichever parts, both light and dark meat, always free-range, and I boil the bones to make the broth.  For vegetables, I do carrots, onions, and celery, garlic and, to get something green in there (always a good idea), kale. Admittedly, kale can look pretty unfriendly sitting up on the produce shelf, but after simmering in chicken soup, it’s barely noticeable in there (I promise). For a little more substance, add noodles or rice. The quantities of ingredients are considerably variable, so it’s pretty easy to wing it.
Chicken soup: at least there’s one good thing about having a cold. But having to make chicken while having a cold – that is not so good. Nobody wants to cook when they’re sick. That’s why the happiest plan is to do up a big batch and freeze it.  And it’s so simple: throw everything into a big pot and simmer.  
While there’s no hard evidence that chicken soup is a cure for the common cold, I'm a believer, because I feel better already. Plus, I think I’m off jelly beans for good.