Who doesn’t love to warm up to a good bowl of hot soup on a cold winter’s evening? Even though spring is right around the corner, we still have plenty of cool nights to come, not to mention dreary rainy days, so soup may well be on your radar for the next few weeks.
Anne BralyChicken noodle soup takes me back to my childhood – and probably yours, too. Remember that can of Campbell’s chicken noodle your momma would pour into a copper-bottomed Revereware pot and warm till the chicken-flavored steam drew you into the kitchen for lunch? Along with a grilled cheese sandwich, you’d be dining on food that in future years would bring a smile to your face. On occasion, I still find myself opening the cabinet and pulling out a can, pouring it into a coffee cup and heating it in the microwave. The result is just the same as it was when I was a kid slurping the noodles and dripping the broth down my chin.
Soup is pure comfort food, and just as it was in our childhood, chicken soup remains an all-time favorite. But like us baby boomers, it, too, has grown up. I’ve been making chicken soup with orzo pasta for several years now and taking it to friends, as well as making it for a simple supper. I like the small size of orzo – the size of rice grains almost – as opposed to big, thick noodles that appear in many chicken soups. Orzo makes the soup easier to eat, but still gives the texture you want in chicken noodle soup. The addition of kale – or spinach or turnips greens, depending on your preference – gives more health benefits such as magnesium and folate, as well as some color, which most chicken soups lack.
I can’t stress enough the importance of making your own chicken stock. It’s simple, and I can’t imagine not going to the extra effort when making this soup. Simply simmer a whole chicken in lightly salted water with onions and celery until the leg easily pulls away. Shred the chicken, strain the stock, and go from there. If you have time, chill the stock in order to skim off the fat with ease.
You’ll find this soup as comforting as it was in your childhood, and if you need more convincing, make yourself a grilled cheese sandwich.