Good Soup

I’ve always been hesitant to dedicating an entire post to broth because there are simply so many variations out there. Anyway, bear with me, we aren’t breaking new grounds here - this is just a quick and easy broth to soup recipe that I like to put together.

I like to prepare this broth, along with a separate container filled with a mirepoix of carrots, celery, and onion on Sunday evening - it’s the only meal prep I’ll ever do.

Then, when I’m ready to serve it, I’ll heat the broth up in a small pot, add my fresh vegetables, fresh wilted greens, couscous and some of the leftover chicken for a warm and hearty meal. It’s one of my favorite things to eat on a cold winter afternoon accompanied by a stack of saltines while listening to chill vibes in the background.

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VEGETABLE Soup

INGREDIENTS

• 1 whole chicken

• 1 lemon, halved

• 4-6 quarts of water

• 1 pound carrots, cut into chunks

• 3 stalk of celery, cut into chunks

• 2 whole onions (skin on), halved

• 2 whole cloves of garlic (skin on), halved

• 2 whole tomatoes

• 1-2 knobs of ginger (skin on)

• 3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme

• 2 bay leaves

• 3 sprigs of Parsley

• 1 tablespoon Whole peppercorn

• 5 teaspoon Salt
  

TO FINISH THE SOUP, OPTIONS

• Mirepoix of carrots, celery, onion

• Couscous, cooked according to package iinstructions

• Squash, sliced, optional

• Kale, spinach or other wilted greens, optional

• Fresh dill or parsley, chopped

METHOD

In a large stock pot, add chicken, lemon and 4 quarts of water.   Bring to a boil, then using a skimmer, skim off the scum and fat accumulating at the top.  Continue to do this until there is close to none left.  Remove lemon.

[If you are not adding chicken, skip the above and simply add 4 quarts of water to a large stock pot and start from here]

Add whole carrots, celery, onions, garlic, tomatoes, ginger, thyme, bay leaves, parsley (including stems), peppercorns and salt.  Let simmer for 1.5-2 hours without a lid.  Salt if needed.

Let cool for about 30 minutes.  Then, transfer chicken to a shallow dish, then separate the meat and discard bones.  Then, strain the broth into a separate container - I personally like extra large mason jars for easy storage -  using a fine mesh sieve and discard the solids.

To serve add desired amount of broth, couscous, and mirepoix to a pot and cook for 2 minutes.  Turn off heat then add other wilted greens or thinly sliced squash.  Serve with fresh dill.