Mamma Ida's Chicken Soup

Richard knew he'd finally perfected his chicken soup recipe when Nancy and Bridget both remarked, "It tastes just like your Mother's!" Chicken soup was a regular Monday-evening meal at the Curzi household, and a more dressed-up version (usually with tiny meatballs - or "polpettini") was always the opening course of every major holiday meal. And anyone who had soup made by Richard's mother, Ida, would invariably say it was the best soup they'd ever tasted. While this recipe may not follow Ida's approach exactly, the result is as close to hers as we've ever achieved. Richard's approach makes good use of something that might otherwise get thrown away - the carcass of a roasted chicken makes for the richest chicken stock.

Hearty Chicken Stock

While on the road we've grown accustomed to roasting a whole chicken (or even buying a store roasted rotisserie chicken) and getting at least 3 meals out of it. Meal one is the roast chicken itself, with a side of green vegetables and a baked potato. Then, reserving all the bones and skin, we strip off all of the meat that's left and use some of it for a chicken salad or chicken tacos for lunch the next day. Meal three is a soup made from what's left of the meat, but more importantly from the leftover bones and skin that we stripped on day one! Here's how to make the richest chicken stock ever. Once the stock is made, a soup can be ready in only about 20 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 TBS Olive Oil
• Bones and skin from a roasted chicken (or turkey)
• Cup of chopped onions
• Cup of chopped carrots
• Cup of chopped celery (including some leaves)
• Two large cloves of garlic chopped
• 8 cups of water
• Several sprigs of fresh thyme
• Several sprigs of fresh parsley
• One bay leaf

Process

• In a large (3-4 quart) stock pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium high heat.
• Add chicken bones & skin, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are softened and translucent.
• Add 8 cups of water, thyme, parsley, and bay leaf. Increase heat to high then lower to low heat as it reaches a steady simmer
• With a small strainer, or tablespoon, skim off any scum that may form at the surface (this will happen less with the roasted bones than with raw chicken)
• Let simmer uncovered for about an hour and a half
• If using immediately, pour through a sieve, squeezing out as much liquid as possible with a large serving spoon or spatula. Should yield about 6 cups
• If not using immediately, remove from heat and let it cool. Then cover the pot and refrigerate (with all of the bones and vegetables still in the pot) until you are ready to make your soup. (I actually find that keeping the stock pot in the refrigerator a day or two fortifies the flavor even more.) Once chilled, the stock will be rather gelatinous (because it's made from bones). Also, the fat will have risen to the top and hardened - if there is a thick layer of fat, remove some of this "schmaltz" and set aside for later use (or discard). When ready to use, heat it up until it liquifies fully, then press through a sieve as above.

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Chicken Soup

Ingredients

• 1 TBS Olive Oil (or even better, some of the schmaltz removed from the chilled stock)
• 1 cup of diced onions
• 1 cup of diced carrots
• 1 cup of diced celery
• 1 cup of escarole or spinach leaves
• 6 cups of Hearty Chicken Stock
• 1/2 cup of soup pasta (such as Ditalini, Orzo, or Acini di Pepe), or rice
• 1 cup of cooked chicken meat, chopped
• Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper
• Grated Parmigiano or Pecorino Romano Cheese

Process

• In a large stock pot heat oil over medium high heat. Add vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are softened and translucent (about 7 minutes).
• Add Hearty Chicken Stock. Increase heat to high until it reaches a simmer, then reduce to low heat
• Add pasta (or rice)
• Simmer, testing pasta and pieces of carrot until they are cooked al dente (about 10-15 minutes)
• Add chopped chicken and simmer for another minute or two to heat through
• Add salt and pepper to taste
• Serve with grated cheese to taste