Saturday, January 16, 2010

Homemade chicken soup

This picture is strange. I have no idea why. This soup however is yummy! Mike loves soup so I thought I would make a big pot of chicken noodle. This was very simple. I made a few changes to the original recipe.

Source: The Foodie Fashionista

1 (3 pound) roasting chicken
5 large carrots, chopped
4 large celery stalks with leaves, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 parsnip, sliced in half vertically
1 turnip, sliced in half
5 garlic cloves, peeled
several sprigs of parsley and dill
10-12 cups cold water
salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces pasta (optional)
cheesecloth

Place chicken, vegetables, and herbs in a large stockpot. Add enough cold water to cover all the contents of the pot. Bring to a boil and turn down to simmer; cover pot, but vent to allow steam to escape. Simmer for about 90 minutes.After 90 minutes, remove chicken from the soup. Remove as much meat as possible and discard skin and bones. Remove turnip and parsnip and discard. Find garlic cloves (they should be floating near the top) and smash them against the side of the pot and mix the smashed garlic into the soup. Add chicken meat back to soup; season with salt and pepper. Add pasta and bring back to a boil; boil until pasta is cooked through. (I cooked the pasta separate and added in). Remove pot from heat and cover top surface of soup with cheesecloth. Push cloth down into soup until it sits just below the surface. Allow to cool completely, preferably overnight. Slowly lift cheesecloth up, separating the fat from the top surface of the soup. Reheat to serve.