CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP (for six)

For the stock:

a whole roasted chicken carcass, meat removed and reserved

2 teaspoons salt

2 onions, halved

4 whole cloves

4 ribs celery, with leaves, roughly chopped

6 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

3 parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, smashed

6 sprigs fresh dill

6 sprigs fresh parsley

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the soup:

8 cups chicken stock

3 cups cooked chicken meat reserved from the stock

8 ounces egg noodles

5 carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally

2 parsnips, peeled and sliced diagonally

3 ribs celery, washed and sliced diagonally

¼ cup chopped fresh dill

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

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1. Place the chicken carcass in a stockpot with salt and water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Skim any scum that rises to the surface of the stock.

2. Stud each onion half with a clove and add them to the chicken stock, along with the remaining flavoring ingredients, and simmer, partly covered, 1-1/2 hours or more. Strain through a sieve into a bowl and discard the solids. Degrease the stock.

3. Bring the strained stock back to a boil in the stockpot and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes to intensify the flavor. Taste carefully for seasoning. Reserve stock.

4. Add the shredded chicken, carrots, parsnips, and celery to the stock and simmer for a few minutes. Add the noodles and cook until they are al dente, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped dill and parsley.

NOTE:

• If you want to make the soup with a raw chicken, rinse the uncooked bird under cold tap water, remove any excess fat and and any giblets stashed in the cavity, and place the chicken in a pot with 1 tablespoon salt and water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, partly covered, for 30 minutes. Transfer the chicken from the pot to a plate and set it aside until it is cool enough to handle. Discard the skin, remove the meat from the bones and shred the meat. Return the bones to the pot and continue with the recipe at step 2. Once the meat has cooled completely, cover and refrigerate it until you’re ready to finish the soup.

• If your leftover chicken carcass doesn’t have enough meat on it to finish the soup, buy 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts from your grocery, salt them and add them to the stock after you’ve brought it back to a boil in step 3. Reduce the heat to medium and poach the chicken until the juices run clear, about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon to a plate to cool, then shred it. Proceed with step 4.

• This is a good use for left over roasted lemon chicken

adapted from Julee Rosso and Shiela Lukins, The New Basics Cookbook