I just wanted to be warm. Cozy warm. Snuggly like a bug in a ruggedy warm. So chicken soup really seemed the best option. I’m sure you have your go-to chicken soup recipe; one like your mom made that fills you to the brim with all the “everything will be alright” magic that only a mom-made soup can bring. I, for one, never make it the same way.
It’s always dependent on what’s in the fridge. Yesterday, I had a lot of fennel in the fridge, so started by sautéing large dices of an onion, 1 large fennel bulb, 3 stalks of celery, and 3 carrots. Plus, 3 minced cloves of garlic. Usually, I add fresh ginger and chili, but didn’t for some reason. Salt and pepper. A few peels of lemon rind without the pith and I let that sweat over medium heat for about 20 minutes until everything was nicely wilted. Then, I plopped a whole chicken right on top with some more salt and pepper and then topped it off with water.
Of course, I cooked up the heart and kidneys for my very special little pups as their warming treat, and then covered the pot and let the soup simmer away for about 4 hours. Once the chicken was literally falling apart and off the bones, I carefully lifted it out if the pot and placed it on a sheet pan to cool. Then, I separated the bones and skin and shredded the meat to return to the pot along with about 1 qt of small diced green beans. That simmered until Eric came home and it was time to eat.
I had also tested the Potato Dumpling Society’s April Menu Asparagus and Ricotta Tart, so we enjoyed that alongside the soup. And OH MY GATOS was it scrumptious! BUT, that recipe is reserved for the paid subscribers, so you’ll have to join the Potato Dumpling Heads for that recipe my darlings!
Stay warm out there and repeat after me: Warm days are coming!
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