I’ve been sick for nearly three weeks. It’s gross. Not even three seasons of Dexter has provided me with any comfort. Although in hindsight, Dexter is probably not the most uplifting show. So today I decided to channel nostalgia and make myself Chicken Soup. Not nostalgia for my own past – when I was sick growing up all I can remember is lemonade iceblocks and flat lemonade. No, this is a different type of nostalgia, one garnered from watching a few too many crap movies I think. Chicken Soup has long been heralded as a cure all for illness. I decided to give it a go.
I went down to the green grocers and bought all the things I thought would help the soup heal me. Chillies for heat and to clear the system, garlic for its medicinal properties, leek, carrot, onion and porcini mushrooms for the flavour base. I got spinach – full of iron and vitamin C, courgettes and ginger – my favourite and also a medicinal superfood. I got chicken legs (apparently there is a lot of good stuff in the bones) and chicken stock.
The result? Amazing. One of the tastiest things I’ve cooked in a long time and I genuinely feel a bit better. I think I’ve created a new tradition in my household – one stolen from the movies.
Chicken Soup
Ingredients
Olive oil
1 leek
1 carrot
1 red onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 small red chillies
A stalk of rosemary
1 kilo chicken legs
1 litre chicken stock
1 packet of porcini mushrooms
1 big bunch of spinach
3 courgettes
Parsley
The juice of 1-½ lemons
Salt & pepper
Method
1. Finely chop the leek, onion, carrot, chilli and ginger.
2. Sauté the chopped veges in olive oil until soft. I used a heavy based saucepan.
3. Add the chicken legs (skin off) and brown. Depending on the size of your pot you may need to do this in batches.
4. After the chicken legs have been in the pot for about 3 or 4 minutes, add the stock and bring to the boil.
5. Poor about 500ml boiling water over the porcini mushrooms and let sit for 5 minutes.
6. Bring the chicken soup down to a simmer and add the mushrooms and all the liquid.
7. Let the soup simmer for about half an hour.
8. Remove the chicken legs and strip the meat off.
9. Add the meat back to the soup together with the courgettes (finely chopped) and the spinach.
10. Bring to the boil for about 2 or 3 minutes.
11. Turn off the heat and stir through the lemon juice and some finely chopped parsley.
12. Season to taste and serve.
13. I hope you feel better!
Disclaimer: I have told this recipe to two of my foodie friends – they are HORRIFIED at my use of ginger and spinach (?) and think it is far to complicated and fussy. I disagree. But then again, I have been very ill so my judgement might be off. Let me know what you think.
The only critic worth listening too is your tastebuds, if it takes good you can mix peanut butter and icypoles.