11.12.2013

Sausage and Kale Soup


This soup recipe is so delicious and easy to prepare. It is definitely a favorite in my house!




11.06.2013

Chicken Noodle Soup



Few things taste more comforting than homemade chicken noodle soup on a chilly autumn day. I followed my mom's recipe to make this delicious soup for dinner with friends last week. Soup is great for get togethers because it is convenient to keep warm, easy to eat and almost universally loved. Here's how I made it:


Begin by placing a whole chicken (insides removed) in a large stock pot with some halved carrots and  celery stalks, quartered onions, garlic cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves, sprigs of thyme basil, oregano and salt. Cover just barely with water and bring to a boil. Skim the surface for any impurities floating around. Reduce the heat to med-low, cover and allow to simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 hours depending on the size of your bird.


For the noodles, start with a couple cups of flour. I used cake flour because I was out of all purpose, which is normally what you would use. Cake flour worked well, though! I suspect the fineness of the flour prevented the dough from rising, which is great because puffy noodles are weird, unless that's what you're going for. Next, mix a teaspoon of salt into the flour mixture.


Make a well (dig out a hole in the middle of the bowl, piling spoonfuls of flour mixture along the sides of the bowl until a nice well forms in the middle) and crack three eggs into it. Beat the eggs with a fork and then start incorporating the flour mixture. Do this gradually. At some point, you will need to use your hands to mix/knead. Keep adding flour until it won't take anymore. You can knead it in the bowl or on a floured surface, about five minutes. Let the dough rest for a few minutes before rolling it out.


Cut the ball of dough in half and roll each section out separately- this helps with getting it as thin as possible.

Halfway there!

Perfect!

Roll the noodle dough up like a jelly roll.

Cut off pieces of any width you like and unroll them to make long noodle strands.

Dry them on a tea towel for a few hours and then they're ready to boil! Some of my noodles had funny shapes like zig zags because I didn't roll my dough into a perfect rectangle (or a rectangle at all, let's be honest) so if that bothers you, roll your dough out to have four right angles and you'll be good to go.


By now, the chicken should be done, so remove it and let it cool. Strain the broth with a fine sieve and reserve the strained liquid. Once the chicken is cool, shred it into pieces using two forks, removing skin and bones. Set aside.

  
Add fresh chopped carrots, celery, onion and herbs to a pan and saute in a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Cook for about 6 minutes until vegetables start to soften but are still crunchy. 


Add the strained broth to the vegetables and bring to a boil, then drop in the noodles a couple at a time. Keep tasting the noodles to see when they're ready- mine took about eight minutes. Reduce the heat when the noodles are done and add the chicken. Adjust seasoning to your liking- I added a generous about of Lawry's seasoning to mine. Warm and serve!