What's In Your Bowl?

(Nods to Kate P for letting me copy her title.)

Nina, if I could be there with you right now, I'd plop you down with your drink of choice and your favorite movie, while I make you this soup. It's hardly original, although this is MY version of it, and it does provide warmth and comfort. I could have fancied up my post with a step by step pictorial, but that's just not my style. Here goes:

"Just Dammit" Chicken Soup

· 1 whole (3-4 pounds) chicken, cooked, deboned, and chopped into ½ inch pieces
· 2 cups sliced celery stalks
· 2 cups sliced carrots
· 1 cup chopped yellow onion
· 1 Tablespoon olive oil
· 2 Tablespoons minced garlic cloves
· 48 oz. carton Swanson® chicken broth (or whatever broth you like)
· 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme
· 2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary
· 1 Tablespoon lemon zest, plus several slices of lemon
· 1/2 cup dry sherry wine
· A few flakes of ground red pepper
· Salt and freshly ground pepper
· Cooked wide egg noodles
· Chopped fresh parsley

Clean the chicken and set aside giblets and neck. (These items may be boiled up separately to make a delicious treat for Cathead or any other furry 4-legged creatures who happen to be in residence.) Salt the entire chicken inside and out liberally with kosher or coarse salt. Let chicken stand for 35 minutes. While it stands, we can sit at the table and chop the vegetables and herbs.

Wash salt from chicken and place in a medium to large stockpot. Cover chicken 4 or 5 quarts of cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to simmer. Simmer for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, occasionally skimming the foam from the top.

Remove the chicken to a large platter when it is still firm and not falling apart. Debone chicken and chop meat into ½ inch pieces.

In the bottom of a large pot cook the celery, carrots, and onions in 1 Tablespoon olive oil until soft and beginning to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 5 minutes.

Pour the chicken stock into the pot. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.

Add the cooked chicken pieces to the pot. Add the thyme, rosemary, lemon zest, lemon slices, sherry, and red pepper to the pot. Cover and cook for at least 15 to 20 minutes more. Season generously with salt and pepper. Serve hot soup over noodles with a garnish of chopped parsley. Never add the noodles to the soup because this results in mushy noodles. I guess if you’re into mushy noodles, you can add them to the soup, but I wouldn’t advise it. Nobody likes a mushy noodle -- just ask the makers of Viagra.

-- Guest post by LizB of Mermaid Musings