Mom's chicken soup

Mom's chicken soup

Homemade chicken soup bears amazing healing properties. This recipe comes from my mother, Margaret Juzwik. Like her, I often make this soup with leftover turkey, often the day after Thanksgiving, but Mom's original recipe calls for chicken.

5 quarts turkey or chicken broth
4 C (or more) chopped chicken (cooked or uncooked)
1 C celery
1/2 C celery leaves
1/4 C onion, finely chopped
2 t salt (or more,
pepper to taste
bay leaf

1/2 C parsley
1 C peas
1 C carrots
2 C green beans
2 C egg noodles (I never put 'em in, but sometimes I use 3/4 C wild rice)

1/4 C butter
1/4 C flour (I usually use oat flour)


1. Add liquid and everything up to bay leaf. Also add rice, if using.

2. Simmer for an hour. Then add parsley and veggies. Simmer until tender. Add noodles, if using.

3. Melt butter in small frying pan. Slowly stir in flour, whisking constantly. Add small amounts of broth from pot and keep adding and stirring until smooth. When you have 1-1 1/2 C, then add to pot and stir.  Simmer for another 15 minutes.

Note: If I want a lighter soup, I leave out the butter and flour.

Mediterranean Chicken Soup

Mediterranean Chicken Soup

On a cold snowy January afternoon, a pot of broth had simmered away on the stove for nearly 24 hours.  I craved chicken soup, but something different from the usual fare. Some recently thawed roma tomatoes and 2 partially eaten rotisserie chickens -- the bones were used for broth -- also needed to be used. So here is what I developed. It passed the kitty sniff test, and Maudemarie said it tasted like chicken tacos...perhaps because of the oregano?  

4 quarts chicken broth (approximately) - homemade broth is ideal
4-5 cups chopped cooked chicken meat
2 cups roma tomatoes, pureed in blender (or a 32 oz can tomato puree would probably be equivalent)
1 large fennel bulb, finely chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 small garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon (or more) oregano
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoon salt
pepper, to taste
3 medium russet potatoes (I used baked potatoes, but fresh potatoes would also work)
3 cups green beans (frozen work just fine)
parmesan (sprinkled on top)

Bring broth to boil. Combine all ingredients except green beans (unless the potatoes are already cooked, in which case wait on them also). Simmer for an hour or so. Add the green beans and simmer for another 15+ minutes, until cooked. Other vegetables can also be added, as desired, although I enjoyed the simplicity of this combination, sprinkled with parmesan and freshly ground pepper, served with a crusty slice of bread.

Corn and Clam Chowder

Corn & Cod Chowder

I adapted this chowder from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/summer-corn-and-cod-chowder-51101050 when I discovered cod and corn in the freezer. It works beautifully gluten-free, although it features bacon (just a wee bit for flavor), milk, and half-and-half; therefore, its low-fat and low-acid status are questionable.  It did not meet Maudemarie's approval, alas, but I liked it with GF cornbread (recipe coming soon). I imagine this chowder would work well with grilled cheese sandwiches.

Ingredients

• 3 slices bacon
• 1 cup (or so) celery, 
• diced2 tablespoons all-purpose GF flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
• 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 cups 2 percent milk (I will try skim milk next time)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons (or more) finely chopped fresh thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon (or less) freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 pound cod, skin removed, chopped
• 2 1/2 cups cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1/4 cup fat-free half-and-half

Directions
In a large saucepan, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a towel to soak up the oil, then crumble. In same pan, sauté celery for a few minutes until tender. Add flour; cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes. Stir in potatoes, milk, broth, thyme, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 10 minutes or more. Stir in fish, corn and 2/3 bacon; simmer 5 minutes. Stir in half-and-half; simmer 2 minutes. Ladle into bowls and garnish with remaining bacon.