Guido's Cucina

Try my homemade Italian Chicken Soup. It is based on Uncle Joe's recipe. It is guaranteed to cure any illness and fill your tummy.

Ingredienti

Istruzioni per prepararsi

Prepare chicken: Remove gizzards, etc. Wash it inside and out. Keep skin on -- the fat from the skin adds flavor. (Don't use an "oven stuffer" type of chicken; it's much too fatty and has additives that sour the soup.)

Put chicken in deep soup pot, and fill pot with water until chicken is almost covered. Put on stove on medium-high heat.

If the chicken is cheap and not really that fatty, I may add a cube of chicken bullion for flavor. If you use a chicken that is really fatty, you don't need the bullion. The fat adds the flavor.

The water is heating during the time you cut up the veggies and add them. By the time all ingredients are added, the water is almost boiling. Turn the burner down to low or simmer. Don't boil!

Stir all ingredients together, and bring the soup to a very slow simmer. After about 20 minutes, the skins from the tomatoes should be loose; use a fork and remove the skins. Otherwise, the skins may sour the soup. The tomato will slowly decompose and give the soup color.

Slowly simmer for 15 minutes per pound of bird (that is, 1.5 hours for a 6-pound bird, or 2 hours for an 8-pound bird). I stir about every 20 minutes during the cooking time, and turn the chicken over about an hour into the process. After that, the chicken is so cooked it falls apart, so turn it over while it is still in one piece.

Mangi e goda

Eat some of the chicken, a serving of the veggies, put one cup of soup stock per person eating in another pot and add 1 oz per cup of soup stock of Orzo noodles, cook for 11 minutes (or until orzo is soft), then eat soup.

Remaining veggies won't keep, so discard them. Store remaining chicken (good for sandwiches). Stir and pour remaining soup stock in mason jars, let cool, refrigerate.

For next soup serving, skim off fat at top of soup, then bring to boiling, add Orzo, and there you are.... I usually get about three 1-1/2 quart jars of soup stock to save for later beyond the first serving.