Chicken Soup

It was cold in Los Angeles for exactly two days and I managed to make and consume a delicious batch of chicken soup before the hot weather returned with a vengeance. One has to jump on these opportunities when one gets them if one lives in LA. On a cold day you cannot do better than homemade chicken noodle soup. It does in fact feed the soul.

I was chatting the other night with a friend who cooks for her family every day, but does not consider herself a “cook.” One of the things she doesn’t make is soup. This is in part because the chopping required seems daunting to her, but in addition she is opposed to the need to be home for hours while tending the soup. I tried to reassure her on both counts. First, I think even 6 and 8 year olds can be taught to safely chop vegetables for soup. Give them a steak knife, not a chopping knife, and show them how to keep their fingers out of the way of the sharp part of the tool. Set the kids far enough apart that they won’t get in each other’s way. The great thing about soup is that it really doesn’t matter what the chopped carrots or celery look like, so it is a perfect starting point for kids. My children take enormous pride in meals they’ve helped prepare and the prep takes half the time if they chop the vegetables for me. Beyond this, many grocery stores now sell chopped vegetables. Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Ralph’s – they’ve all got chopped carrots, celery and onions if you cannot bring yourself to spend ten minutes with a knife and cutting board. The next point is truthfully, I don’t make any soup that takes more than 30 minutes of prep work and 60-90 minutes of cooking time. I don’t have the patience. Some of my favorite soup recipes only take 45-50 minutes total to pull together (I’ll post some of the quickies soon).

This post includes two recipes for chicken soup. The first is my father’s basic Chicken Noodle Soup, and the second is my recipe for Chicken Chowder. Both my father and I suffer from serious soup addictions. We make soup, A LOT. I can make soup with just about any combination of ingredients. It is my failsafe meal. When I cannot find the energy or inspiration for something complex, I set my sights on soup.

My father puts a single jalapeno chili in his soup recipe. Even without the seeds, it packs a punch. Those with chili sensitive palates would do well to leave it out.

Chicken Noodle Soup (10-12 servings)

• 3 quarts of chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 3-5 pound chicken, rinsed and quartered
• 2 large onions, quartered
• 4 medium carrots, cut in large pieces
• 4 stalks celery, cut in large pieces
• ¼ cup Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 parsnip, cut in large pieces
• 2 whole cloves of garlic
• 1 whole shallot (do not cut up)
• 1 green jalapeno chili, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 half package flat whites-only egg noodles

Bring first twelve ingredients to a boil in a large stockpot. Lower to simmer. Simmer uncovered for 90 minutes. Skim the surface of the soup to remove foam and fat.

Turn off burner. Put a large colander inside a large pot or bowl. Drain soup through colander. Return broth to the stockpot.

Separate the chicken from the vegetables. Discard garlic cloves, shallots and jalapeno chili. When cool enough to handle cut the vegetables into medium dice and return the vegetables to the soup pot. When the chicken is cool enough to handle hand strip the chicken from the bones. Return chicken meat to the soup pot.

Cook the noodles according to the directions on the package. Drain and add to soup. Mazel Tov!

This next recipe is one of my favorites. If you have slightly vegetable averse children, this is a particularly good choice. It has double the vegetables. The first batch of vegetables are blended into the broth, and the second batch is chopped. My children adore this soup. It freezes well.

Chicken Chowder (8-10 servings)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (any quality will do)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large whole chicken (preferably organic), cut into 8 pieces
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 4 cups carrots, diced
• 2 leeks, carefully washed and diced
• 2 heads celery, trim tops off (discard) and dice
• 2 large russet or yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1 14-ounce package frozen sweet white corn
• 1 cup frozen petite whole onions
• 1-2 cups cream, half & half or whole milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil and butter in large stock pot. Salt and pepper chicken. Brown the chicken on both sides (about 4 minutes per side on medium-high heat). Remove chicken from pot and place in bowl while you prepare the vegetables. Brown onions, two cups carrots, one head celery, and the leeks until soft over medium heat. Approximately 12-15 minutes.

Add white wine and chicken broth. Bring to simmer. Add chicken and potatoes. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, approx 20 minutes. While cooking skim foam and fat off of the top. Remove chicken once cooked through and place on a cutting board to cool.

Place immersion blender in soup pot and blend until broth is smooth OR if you don’t own an immersion blender, blend soup in batches in either a Cuisinart or a blender. The only real advantage of the immersion blender is that it reduces the dishes you need to do afterwards.

Tear cooled chicken into small, bite-size pieces. Return to pot with two cups carrots, the second head of celery, frozen corn, frozen onions and cream (or half & half, or milk). Cook an additional 15-20 minutes until carrots and celery are just tender. Don’t overcook. Add salt and pepper to taste. Skim fat off of the top again. Serve.

Note: I find that commercial chicken broth is quite bland, but I rarely have the time or inclination to make my own chicken broth. As a consequence I often add bouillon or liquid chicken broth concentrate to soups to make them richer in flavor. I recommend adding one or the other to this soup if you use commercial stock as its base. I use Trader Joe’s “Reduced Sodium Liquid Concentrate, Chicken Flavor” or “Savory Choice Liquid Chicken Broth” which is carried by Whole Foods and a number of other retailers. They are small packets that come in a small box. You can add one packet at a time and taste the soup after each addition. For a batch of soup this large I often add four packets. I’m partial to the turkey flavored concentrates because they have a bit more gusto than the chicken – but that is just a personal preference.

Chicken Cachengo

My family loves food. We love to cook and we love to spend time together in the kitchen. At home my sister and I often spend our Sunday afternoons trying something new in the kitchen. My boys (now 8 and 10) are able sous-chefs, handy with a sharp knife for chopping, capable of whisking, blending, beating, stirring, and tasting. Family holidays often center in and around the kitchen. A glass of wine in hand and a story to tell, my father never tires of pulling a meal together, whether for 4 or 14. My mother sails in, particularly in times of trouble, quick to make a pot roast and some homemade applesauce (recipes to follow). My grandmother could out-cook folks a quarter of her age. We’d be in our sixth hour of making jam or baking cookies, ant the rest of us were slumped on one chair or another and my grandmother would still be standing, not a word of complaint.

This blog is loosely based on a family cookbook I edited and photographed two years ago. The cookbook, “Inside the Kaganoff Kitchen,” brought together recipes that we, as a family, have made again and again over the years. Some are festive holiday foods and others are simple fare suitable for a busy weeknight with homework to do and instruments to practice.

The first two recipes I’m going to post are variations on a theme. My father makes a dish in the wintertime we call “Chicken Cachengo” which is a humorous name that combines Chicken Cacciatore with Chicken Morengo. He was inspired to create this dish one year when we were skiing in Deer Valley and he needed something to warm our insides and fuel us for the next day’s skiing. This dish does just the trick, and we’ve been making it ever since. This makes a great party meal. All of the work can be done in advance. It can even be made the day before and reheated on the stovetop (NOT the microwave – puh-lease) and then served. The second recipe I’m going to post is my version of the same dish. Both of them feed a crowd, prep well in advance, and taste even better on the second day.

Chicken Cachengo (10 servings)

• 2 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil
• 2 whole chickens cut into 8 pieces
• 2 large onions, coarsely chopped
• 2 shallots, finely diced
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 6 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup carrots, coarsely chopped
• 20 ounces cremini mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• 1 35-ounce can peeled Italian tomatoes, with juice
• 1 12-ounce jar pitted Kalamata olives
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• ½ teaspoon Herbs de Provence
• 32 ounces chicken broth
• 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
• 3 ounces tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• flat leaf Italian parsley for garnish

Heat grapeseed oil in large skillet. Generously salt and pepper the chicken pieces. Brown chicken pieces in skillet over medium high heat until skin is slightly golden, approximately 10-12 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and set aside. Drain off all but ¼ cup pan drippings.

Sauté onions, shallots and red pepper flakes over medium high heat until golden, about 10-12 minutes.

Add white wine to onion/shallot mixture; cook 2 minutes.

Add bell pepper, carrots, and celery; sauté 2 more minutes.

Add chicken back to pot. Add chicken broth; turn up heat and bring to a boil. Turn down to simmer. Break up Italian tomatoes in the can and then add them plus their juices, the olives, tomato sauce, tomato paste, mushrooms, thyme, Herbs de Provence and sugar. Simmer one hour. While the chicken is cooking skim off the fat. Taste. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Serve in low bowl over crusty bread. Sprinkle with flat leaf parsley to garnish.

Chicken and Sausage Stew (6-8 servings)

• 2 lbs sweet Italian sausage, cut into rounds (I’m a big fan of Trader Joe’s Sweet Italian sausage)
• 6 large chicken thighs (my children like them boneless) or 1 whole chicken, cut up
• 3 cups onions, chopped
• 3 cups red bell pepper, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, finely diced
• 3 tablespoons fresh or dried oregano, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh or dried thyme, chopped
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
• 2 14 1/2-oz cans diced tomatoes with juices
• 1 14½-oz can chicken broth
• 1 cup dry white wine
• ¾ cup pimiento-stuffed olives, sliced
• flat leaf Italian parsley for garnish

Sauté sausage in a heavy pot over medium-high heat until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer browned sausage to a large bowl. Sprinkle chicken lightly with salt and pepper. Add chicken to pot and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Using slotted spoon transfer chicken to bowl with sausage. Drain off all but ¼ cup pan drippings.

In the reserved pan drippings sauté onions and peppers until soft, about 10-12 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, thyme, and paprika. Sauté 2 minutes. Add flour and sauté 1 minute. Return sausage, chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot. Add tomatoes with juices, chicken broth and wine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes. While chicken is cooking use a flat spoon to skim off the fat.

Uncover pot. Add olives and simmer until chicken is very tender and liquid is reduced, about 45 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in a low, flat bowl over a piece of toasted crusty country bread. Sprinkle with chopped flat leaf parsley for garnish.