The truth about soup is that you can literally make anything
into soup. As a testament to that fact someone has created a Cabbage Roll Soup.
Now, being Slovenian and Croatian I have made and eaten many a cabbage roll in
my lifetime. I have yet to make or eat said Cabbage Roll Soup but I will let
you know when I have.
Another truth about soup is that its main purpose is to nourish
not only your body but also your soul. I learned to cook from my family and
older generations of aunts and grandmas. The majority of my memories are in the
kitchens of my loved ones or at the Fontana Slovene Hall baking and cooking
with my dad while using the traditions of the elder females that came before us. My Grandma Chris let my sisters, brother, and I experiment and make quick foods that you would find in one of those silly 1950s hostess cookbooks like carrot salad and church punch, or something with SPAM. My great aunt Appie taught us to bake lemon pies and potica nut rolls with patience and vigor. We got to taste everything and lick the spoon til our heart's content. My great grandma Videgar taught my dad to make traditional Slovenian sausage called Klobase and he taught us how to make it and make a business of it. Grandma Shorty made us THE best scrambled eggs, made apple sauce, and made the best chicken and dumplings. We grew up eating fruit off the trees, grapes off the vine, and tomatoes fresh and unwashed from the plants. We had no boundaries when it came to cooking and food and our love for it flourished with that freedom.
Aside from basic baking principles baking and cooking was taught with the “no measurement; throw it in” method. That is how I cook today and what the chicken soup recipe mainly contains in terms of measurements. But fear not, you can do it too! I am currently eye-balling the boiling time for the chicken as I write this. “oh ya know, about 20 minutes.”
Aside from basic baking principles baking and cooking was taught with the “no measurement; throw it in” method. That is how I cook today and what the chicken soup recipe mainly contains in terms of measurements. But fear not, you can do it too! I am currently eye-balling the boiling time for the chicken as I write this. “oh ya know, about 20 minutes.”
Contrary to my “throw-it-in-the-pot” methods of cooking of
my childhood my culinary training was all about measure, measure, repeat. It
was all about accuracy and pristine work. I get that. I understand they are
teaching for perfection and for obtaining a job in the hospitality industry but
I found there wasn’t a lot of feelings and emotions in the food we made. And let’s
be honest, consommé is not nourishing to the body or the soul. If you don’t
know what consommé is don’t feel like you lack any sort of culinary prowess.
Most people don’t know what it is. Consommé is the very first thing you
actually cook in culinary school. It is a pristinely clear soup with zero fat
on the surface and with the tiniest of garnish in the bottom. We literally
removed the fat from the surface with paper towels. In my opinion it is a lot
of work and boring to eat but it sets the precedent of what is expected in your
culinary school journey. I did not learn a single thing from culinary school
except that I didn’t like culinary school. This isn’t the fault of the school.
I learned everything from my family and from 15 years of working in our family
catering and baking company to which I am eternally grateful.
Cooking is how I love and nurture others. I am the happiest
when I am cooking and when I see the happiness when others eat the food I have
made for them. The right food can make all the difference in a person. Chicken
noodle soup is synonymous with being sick and makes everything better. When I am
sick I always need chicken noodle soup. I am sure you feel the same way and
have that same desire for it when you are sick.
One of the most basic soups is chicken noodle soup and I’d like
to share my own recipe with you along with some tips and tricks along the way.
I hope you feel warmed, nourished, and loved when you have this delicious dish!
CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP (serves 6-8)
INGREDIENTS:
3 TBS Oil
2 Chicken breasts or thighs (preferably with the skin and
bones)
64 oz Swanson Chicken or Vegetable stock (low sodium and no MSG)
32 oz water
2 Onions, medium diced (half inch pieces)
4-6 celery stalks, medium diced
4-5 carrots, peeled and medium diced
Noodles of your choice. I prefer wide egg noodles. 2 oz
dried is the recommended serving.
½ tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Granulated Garlic,
1 TBS Parsley
2 bay leaves
DIRECTIONS:
If you prefer to boil your noodles separate as I do, set up
a good size pot for boiling water.
Heat the oil in the bottom of a large pot and place the
chicken fat side down to brown. While browning season the chicken with salt,
pepper, garlic, parsley, and bay leaves. If you are hesitant you can use the
measurements or if you feel confident just give it a good shake over the
chicken to coat it. You can always add more seasoning later but don’t be afraid
to vigorously season it right now.
Turn chicken over and repeat the process on the other side.
Allow chicken to become a golden brown.
Add chicken stalk and bring to a boil. Cover and boil for
about 20 minutes.
Chicken should be cooked through. Remove from pot and set
aside to cool. Add the vegetables to the pot. You may need to add more liquid
and I simply add water. Just eyeball the water so it’s about where the stock
was when you started boiling the chicken.
Return to a boil to cook vegetables; about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile remove fat and bones from the chicken and dice it
into half inch pieces and return to the soup. If the chicken was a little raw
now is the time for it to finish cooking during the 15 minutes cook time for
the vegetables.
After 15 minutes check the vegetables for tenderness. Check a
carrot with a fork. The fork should go in smoothly without too much resistance.
Check soup for flavor and add seasonings until desired flavor is reached.
SERVING:
Place desired amount of noodles in bowl and add soup on top.
Serve with warm bread, biscuits, or crackers.
STORING:
Allow soup to cool thoroughly. Usually by the time
you are done eating the soup is cool enough to be stored in the fridge or
freezer. I prefer to keep the noodles separate from the soup because the
noodles with absorb the liquid and the flavor during storage.
TIPS:
Bones and Fats: bones add flavor to a dish and add a complex
profile and depth. Fats convey and bring out the flavor in a dish. Most people
balk at keeping the skin on but you want that bit of fat to help the flavors
meld and blossom.
Spices: Heating the seasonings and having them sauté in the
fat will bloom the spices and enhance the flavor.
Salt: Be careful with the salt. It is better to be under-salted
and allow each person to add their own salt. I choose low sodium stock because
I like to control the salt when I am cooking.
Vegetables: The culinary rule of thumb is 2 parts onion, 1
part celery, and 1 part carrot. I don’t usually follow this rule. I like a lot
of vegetables and usually a lot more onion. You do what you like to do! Toss it
all in the pot!
Starches: Noodles, potatoes, and rice absorb liquid and
seasoning. When you cook a starch in the soup you may have to add liquid and
add seasoning. Using a hard potato such as red or white will help keep the flavor
and moisture in your dish.
