The leaves are gorgeous and the air has turned crisp. Autumn is in full swing. Can cold and flu season be far behind? No worries if you have this soup stashed in your arsenal.

Even if you had your flu shot and never catch a cold, this soup will be your best ally on Thanksgiving for making gravy, turkey chowder and numerous other holiday delights. Those recipes forthcoming.

Chicken soup is as warm and comforting as a favorite pair of slippers. It turns out that the hookup Penicillin may actually have some medicinal benefits. But, while the jury is still out on the healing properties of chicken soup, it is a fact that almost every culture has some form of chicken soup. Everyone loves it!

There are only two things to remember when making chicken soup:

1. The World’s Greatest Chicken Soup is made from chicken. Chicken bones, that is. The bones have all of the gelatin and collagen in them. There is no need to boil away a chicken-all you will have is “chickeny” water. Have your butcher set aside bones for you in the freezer or learn to cut your own whole chickens and save the bones.

2. Chicken soup does not come from a can, a carton or bouillon cubes. It takes chicken bones to make a rich, flavorful and heartwarming stock that you can turn into soup.

Enjoy!

Yields: 4 quarts rich stock

4 pounds of chicken bones (wings, carcasses, necks etc…)

Approximately 12 cups of water

1 large Spanish onion, chopped

3 large carrots, chopped

3 celery ribs, chopped

3 sprigs of fresh thyme

5 parsley sprigs

1 bay leaf

1 whole clove

1 teaspoon of whole black peppercorns

(Do not add salt at this point. The stock will reduce as part of the natural simmering process and salting it can make it overly salty.)

1. Place all the ingredients in a large stock pot and fill with water only to the level of the bones and vegetables (this will guarantee a rich, not watery stock).
2. Place the stockpot (uncovered) over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
3. Skim off any scum that floats to the top. The scum will make your soup cloudy and bitter. Continue simmering for 4 hours. Turn off the heat and allow the chicken stock to steep.
4. Strain out the bones and vegetables and discard. Cool the stock, in your stock pot, in a sink filled with cold water and ice, completely before storing covered in the refrigerator or freezer. Ladle off the fat from the top of the stock before using.
5. Stock may be stored and covered in the freezer for up to 3 months or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

From Stock into Soup

1 pound white or dark chicken meat, cut into small cubes

½ cup thinly sliced celery

½ cup thinly sliced peeled celery root

½ cup thinly sliced carrots

½ cup thinly sliced parsnips

½ pound wide egg noodles

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Salt and White pepper to taste

1. Bring chicken stock to a simmer in a large saucepan or stock pot. Add the ingredients. Adjust seasoning to taste.

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