Does chicken soup really cure a cold? It’s hot and steamy, mostly liquid but with plenty of nourishment. I figure it couldn’t hurt. What I’m sure of, though, is that it cures cold. And it is cold here in our unheated and uninsulated San Francisco manse. Single pane windows, thin wood walls, inch-wide cracks under doors that lead outside. Essentially, we’re camping, but with furniture. All the space heaters are cranked, sweaters and slippers are donned, piles of quilts are within reach from any given point in the house, and we’re still a bit chilled. Well, my dashing husband and I are a bit chilled. Ernest is fine. He goes barefoot and refuses a long-sleeve t and wonders why I want him to put on pajamas to sleep in when underwear is so much more comfortable. He is a tiny super-charged heater. If we could only harness his energy for the rest of us.
He may not be cold, but he does like soup. So I cooked up some broth (which warmed the kitchen), rolled out some noodles (which warmed me), and made my family soup (one slight change to this recipe I made last night: I added a chopped parsnip to the mix–nutty!). We then slurped our way to some level of warmth.
James Walsh | 20-Dec-08 at 2:49 am | Permalink
I make this quite often and I love chicken soup made from sctatch although i am also guilty of opening a tin of Cambells when I am feeling peckish. I buy only whole chickens and butcher them myself. I save the carcasses until I have enough for a chicken stock. I also keep the carrot and other vegetable peelings and freeze them to use them for stocks.
There is a great pleasure in making stocks as it speaks to the true cook in the preparation of the most basic things in the kitchen. Stocks also require much care and attention as they cook. Boil too fast and it will become cloudy.
For the starter cook or budding amateur the difficulty is the sweet taste one gets from the carrots and onions in the making of the chicken soup. I counter this by adding a little vinegar and white wine after i have sweated the vegetables and then reduce it out. Another thing is to add a squeeze of lime juice before serving.
When i was in Brazil I learned how to make their national chicken soup. It is called ‘Canja’ and it is a lot like our Chicken soup. You can find the recipe online at allrecipes.com. The addition of a few leaves of chopped up cilantro and the squeeze of a lime bring this soup to life.
Thank you for calling attention to the wonderful chicken soup.