Chicken Noodle Soup

Serves 6 to 8

2 tablespoons of chicken fat (reserved from making stock) or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, cut into medium dice
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 celery rib, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 recipe Chicken Stock (note: and the left over meat)
2 cups (3 ounces) wide egg noodles
1/4 cup minced parsley leaves
Ground black pepper

1. Heat the chicken fat in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery; saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the thyme, along with the stock and shredded chicken meat (note: don't forget to do this unless you did it when you finished making the stock); simmer until the vegetables are tender and flavors meld, 10 to 15 minutes.



2. Add the noodles and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and pepper to taste, adjust the seasonings, and serve.

When I first read this recipe, I didn't realize it took the entire recipe of chicken stock from the previous post. Good thing I just stuck it in the fridge and didn't get it bagged and put in the freezer.

Once the stock is made, this is a quick 20-30 minute recipe. Perfect for a weeknight dinner.

Starting with the basics.

It's fitting that the first soup recipe was a basic chicken stock. Tomorrow the stock will be turned into Chicken Noodle Soup.
Chicken Stock
makes about 2 quarts
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, cut into medium dice
4 pounds of chicken backs and wingtips or whole legs hacked with a meat cleaver into 2-inch pieces
2 quarts boiling water
2 teaspoons salt
2 bay leaves

1. Heat the oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Add the ionin, saute until colored and softened slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the onions to a large bowl.



2. Add half of the chicken pieces to the pot; saute until no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the cooked chickent to the bowl with the onion. Saute the remaining chicken pieces. Return the onion and chicken pieces to the pot. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the chicken releases its juices, about 20 minutes.



3. Increase the heat to high; add the boiling water, salt, and bay leaves. Return to a simmer, then cover and barely simmer until the stock is rich and flavorful, about 20 minutes.



4. Stain the stock into a container and discard the solids. Skim the fat and reserve for later use in soups or other recipes, if desired. (The stock can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for several months.)

Tasty Fall Soup Recipe

Butternut Squash and Pear Soup

This comes from "The New Vegetarian Epicure" by Anna Thomas

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound butternut squash (or acorn squash), (about 10 ounces trimmed and seeded)
1 large yam
2 cups vegetable broth
1 1 2 cups water (should read "one and one-half cups water")
1 stick cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium onions, sliced
3 large Anjou or Bartlett pears
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup half and half
white pepper to taste
chives or cilantro (optional)

Directions:

Peel, seed, and dice the squash. Peel and dice the yam. Put them both in a pot with the vegetable broth, water, cinnamon stick, and salt, and simmer until tender, about 40 minutes. Discard cinnamon stick.

Melt the butter and gently cook the onions in it, stirring occasionally, until it begins to carmelize. Peel, core, and thinly slice the pears, and add them to the onions. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the wine, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the pear mixture to the soup, and puree everything in a blender in batches. Add the cream and some white pepper. Heat the soup again just to a simmer, but do not boil. Serve plain, or garnished with chopped chives or sprigs of cilantro.

(Thanks! Charlee)