Although I make soup all year, this season is my favorite time to make it. A cold winter afternoon with the house full of the fragrance of simmering soup is comforting.
When I want to make soup, I plan a couple of weeks ahead. It starts with a frying chicken, the perfect size for us. Before cooking, I cut out the backbone, remove the wing tips, and freeze them in a sizable container. I then “butterfly” the chicken to roast it. All bones from the meal are added to the freezer container. Since we eat a lot of chicken, it fills up in a couple of weeks.
When I have plenty in the freezer, I put the chicken parts in my stock pot with enough water to cover, plus a couple of inches. Bring this to a boil, then reduce it to simmer and let it “smell” up the house for at least three hours, stirring occasionally. Next, cool it and refrigerate it overnight.
The next day, I make soup. First, remove all of the congealed fat. Then put the liquid in a stock pot and heat to boiling. Next add a package of soup mix and cubed, uncooked chuck steak. It’s cheaper than most “soup meat,” very flavorful, and doesn’t need to be browned before adding.
Once it has simmered for three hours, add a package of frozen mixed vegetables without salt. After another half hour, add about 1½ cups of uncooked noodles. Stir often to keep from sticking. When the noodles are done and the soup ready, add a large can of diced tomatoes. Make sure this doesn’t go above a slow simmer or the tomatoes might burn.
After about 15 minutes, soup!
After cooling, I usually freeze most of it. But I always have soup for lunch the next day or sometimes that evening for dinner.
Enjoy and stay safe!
If you have any questions or suggestions for this column, please contact me either through this newspaper atbuckscountyherald.com or directly at guthrielatason@verizon.net.
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