Chicken soup

A friend shared this recipe with me about 14 years ago. Make a basic chicken soup with chicken stock, celery, carrots, onions, garlic and cubed chicken. Lana's twist was to add fresh lemon juice and cumin (to taste), pearl barley, and near the end... add some chopped parsley, cubed potatoes and optionally a bit of those fine egg noodles. Note the lack of an actual recipe; I always just cooked the ingredients in the order of longest cooking to shortest cooking time. It's been yummy every time. So warm and hearty.

To obtain a rich gelatenous depth in your stock, use chicken feet, or wings. Feet can be special ordered already cleaned, thru your local butcher, and wings you can get right at the store.

The best chicken soup in Washington is served in the El Porton restaurants in Eastern Washington. Their soup starts with rich chicken both, in which sliced zucchini and carrots are quickly cooked along with big chunks of white meat chicken breast. To the table with the soup comes a plate with diced avocado,diced tomato, diced onion, and sliced jalepenos, along with almost a cup of chopped cilantro, and 5-6 lime quarters. The diner adds from the condiments to taste, making the soup as citrusy or spicy-hot as he/she wants. The vegetables are always crisp-tender, the stock is flavorful, and the added condiments add fresh taste and crunch. But you have to ask for it; it's not on the menu.

I keep rich chicken stock in my freezer, a tub of Thai tom kha paste in the fridge, and cans of coconut milk in the pantry. My usual chicken soup for a cold is a quick tom kha gai broth, with all three ingredients and a generous addition of hot sauce. Sometimes I cook some rice in the broth as it simmers. A squeeze of lime juice adds vitamin C as well as flavor. To make it more "real" add diced chicken meat, sliced mushrooms (or canned straw mushrooms), crshed chiles, and cilantro.

My family loves this curry variation of chicken soup. Start by making a roux with butter and equal parts curry powder and flour. Slowly add rich chicken stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Add some paprika, and egg yolk mixed with a little milk. Once it has thickened slightly, add diced or shredded chicken and some cilantro, and heat through.

My favorite variatioin on chicken soup is based on Brunswick stew. Tomatoes chopped up, lima beans, okra, cubed potatoes, celery and especially chopped onions. And plenty of chicken pieces. Served with cornbread, buttered while hot. Yum!!!