October 13, 2007
Chicken Soup - where else would I start??
Janet's sick. It's a chilly, October Saturday and she woke up with a flu that started at the roots of her hair...well, you know what that's like. So when I got the call to join my Dad, and two of my little sisters at St. Lawrence Market for breakfast, and was dashing off, car keys in hand, Janet raised her head and said, "Would you make me chicken soup?" Of course I would, I'd do anything to ease that nasty flu. So I ran down to the kitchen, pulled out "Barefoot Contessa Family Style" and consulted the ingredients in my favourite chicken soup recipe. Off I went to the market for a breakfast of a ham foccacia and fresh squeezed orange juice. A quick trip to my favourite fruit and veg stall, and upstairs to my chicken selling friend and I had the makings of a healing meal.
I love recipes. When we bought our first house just over a year ago, my partner bought me one of the most beautiful cookbooks I've ever seen for a housewarming present, and between pulling up flooring from the 1930's onward, I sat in our tiny backyard on my Muskoka chair reading the recipes and pouring over the photos, soaking up the promise of meals to come from my new book. I also love food blogs. I've been thinking about doing this for some time, in fact, since I discovered Chocolate and Zuccini, and started spending way too much time at work following Clotilde's links to other blogs. So I'm doing it. I'm going to focus on what I love about food, that's researching recipes and creating time together well spent with family and friends both cooking, and enjoying what those recipes yield. This blog will focus on the recipes I've come to love, and those I am discovering with you. I'll include tried and true favourites, and all the tried and failed experiments. I'll also introduce you to some of the people in my life who are equally as passionate about food and the moments that are created around sharing the same. But right now, I've just added the noodles, Janet's risen from her sick bed, and I've got soup to serve.
T.O. Grrl's Adaptation of the Barefoot Contessa's Chicken Soup
(from Barefoot Contessa Family Style, by Ina Garten)
1 whole chicken breast, bone in, skin on
1 Cup chopped onion
3 stalks medium-diced celery
3 medium carrots, same size dice as the celery
olive oil
Koser salt
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
Freshly ground pepper
2 quarts (homemade, or good organic) chicken stock
2 cups wide egg noodles (or too taste)
chopped parsely.
Preheat oven to 350. Put chicken on s cooking sheet, rub all over with olive oil. Sprinkle inside and out with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or just until cooked through. (Meantime, start on the veg below.) Cool, or use tongs and burn the heck out of your hands, shred meat, or chop it in cubes, whatever you like in your soup.
Put olive oil in soup pot, about a tablespoon. Sweat off onions, add carrots and celery to soften. Put in chopped thyme to release oils, cook for a few minutes. Add chicken stock, bring to a simmer. Add chicken and allow to simmer for at least 10 minutes uncovered. Check for seasoning, add salt and pepper if needed. (If you are like me, this will finish cooking your chicken and allow time to bring the flavours together.) When you are ready to serve, add noodles, simmer until cooked. Serve with freshly chopped parsley. Check seasoning and adjust.
(Yesterday I took the chicken breast that had been stripped of meat for my soup and put in in a pot, covered it with water, added the ends of my onion and carrots and simmered that bad boy down for a couple of hours. I find the good Contessa's recipe needs more stock the next day as the noodles soak up all the original stock.)
Bon appetit!!!
Chicken Soup - where else would I start??
Janet's sick. It's a chilly, October Saturday and she woke up with a flu that started at the roots of her hair...well, you know what that's like. So when I got the call to join my Dad, and two of my little sisters at St. Lawrence Market for breakfast, and was dashing off, car keys in hand, Janet raised her head and said, "Would you make me chicken soup?" Of course I would, I'd do anything to ease that nasty flu. So I ran down to the kitchen, pulled out "Barefoot Contessa Family Style" and consulted the ingredients in my favourite chicken soup recipe. Off I went to the market for a breakfast of a ham foccacia and fresh squeezed orange juice. A quick trip to my favourite fruit and veg stall, and upstairs to my chicken selling friend and I had the makings of a healing meal.
I love recipes. When we bought our first house just over a year ago, my partner bought me one of the most beautiful cookbooks I've ever seen for a housewarming present, and between pulling up flooring from the 1930's onward, I sat in our tiny backyard on my Muskoka chair reading the recipes and pouring over the photos, soaking up the promise of meals to come from my new book. I also love food blogs. I've been thinking about doing this for some time, in fact, since I discovered Chocolate and Zuccini, and started spending way too much time at work following Clotilde's links to other blogs. So I'm doing it. I'm going to focus on what I love about food, that's researching recipes and creating time together well spent with family and friends both cooking, and enjoying what those recipes yield. This blog will focus on the recipes I've come to love, and those I am discovering with you. I'll include tried and true favourites, and all the tried and failed experiments. I'll also introduce you to some of the people in my life who are equally as passionate about food and the moments that are created around sharing the same. But right now, I've just added the noodles, Janet's risen from her sick bed, and I've got soup to serve.
T.O. Grrl's Adaptation of the Barefoot Contessa's Chicken Soup
(from Barefoot Contessa Family Style, by Ina Garten)
1 whole chicken breast, bone in, skin on
1 Cup chopped onion
3 stalks medium-diced celery
3 medium carrots, same size dice as the celery
olive oil
Koser salt
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
Freshly ground pepper
2 quarts (homemade, or good organic) chicken stock
2 cups wide egg noodles (or too taste)
chopped parsely.
Preheat oven to 350. Put chicken on s cooking sheet, rub all over with olive oil. Sprinkle inside and out with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or just until cooked through. (Meantime, start on the veg below.) Cool, or use tongs and burn the heck out of your hands, shred meat, or chop it in cubes, whatever you like in your soup.
Put olive oil in soup pot, about a tablespoon. Sweat off onions, add carrots and celery to soften. Put in chopped thyme to release oils, cook for a few minutes. Add chicken stock, bring to a simmer. Add chicken and allow to simmer for at least 10 minutes uncovered. Check for seasoning, add salt and pepper if needed. (If you are like me, this will finish cooking your chicken and allow time to bring the flavours together.) When you are ready to serve, add noodles, simmer until cooked. Serve with freshly chopped parsley. Check seasoning and adjust.
(Yesterday I took the chicken breast that had been stripped of meat for my soup and put in in a pot, covered it with water, added the ends of my onion and carrots and simmered that bad boy down for a couple of hours. I find the good Contessa's recipe needs more stock the next day as the noodles soak up all the original stock.)
Bon appetit!!!
2 comments:
OMG, you have a food blog! Awesome.
Annie xx
Hey girl,
Yeah, let's see how often I update it. I'm glad you stopped by!! Miss you,
M
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