A Mother's Love

 

 

Bryan and I are sick. It's that simple. One morning you wake up with a sore throat, and the next three hours you go quickly downhill. Tired, achy bones, sniffling noses - we sound like a Nyquil commercial. So after sufficiently whining to my mother over the phone (doesn't everyone do that when they're sick?) she gave me her very simple, and completely delicious recipe for chicken soup. The same magic potion she's used to nurse me back to health my whole life, that same meal that she would freeze single portions in small ricotta containers for me and drop them off when I was in college. She knows that in that soup is her love. And now I'm spreading it around, like a germ. A love germ.

Okay, I'm delirious. Suffice it to say the soup was REALLY good, I mean really good. I shocked even myself. Here's Mama's recipe:

Rinse 1 chicken in cold water (I used a whole chicken that was pre-cut into parts)
Add 1 large onion peeled and cut in half
Peel and rough chop 2 or 3 carrots
Rough chop 1 or 2 celery stalks
Add a nice helping of kosher salt
Add 10 (or so) whole peppercorns
2 bay leaves
2 crushed garlic cloves
Add enough cold water to cover all ingredients (around 4 quarts)

Bring to a boil and skim off all the scum. Trust me, you'll know it when you see it. Lower to a simmer and cook for 4ish hours with the cover off, skimming the fat every once in a while. When done place all the veg and chicken in another bowl and pour the broth through a strainer into a fresh pot. Separately start shredding the chicken, removing all skin, bones and any yucky parts.  The finely chop all the vegetables (I trashed the onion because I don't like that in my soup) and place back in the broth. Add the shredded chicken and voila.

I cooked some long grain white rice in a separate pot while the soup was simmering, and added a nice helping into each bowl with the soup. Add some grated parm and you're instantly healed. I promise. It's that good.

P.s. whatever you don't eat, freeze!!! Just don't add the rice because it'll soak up all the yummy broth.