Barbara Bretton: Wish You Were Here

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The Food Goddess is in the Kitchen! I am delighted beyond words to present my friend, my pal, Kali Amanda Browne (daughter of the beauteous and talented Marie) aka The Food Goddess. Enjoy!

Quick Fix Chicken Soup

To end last year, my body was replete with cooties and I was obsessing over chicken soup. Chicken soup has the reputation of curing what ails you, enlightening the soul, curing hangovers and being a comfort food. Luckily, Mom is retired and an awesome cook and she lovingly layered a few selections of chicken soup to heal me.

In the twelfth century, the Spanish philosopher and physician Maimonides wrote of the perfect elixir, "The meat taken should be that of hens or roosters and their broth should also be taken because this sort of fowl has virtue in rectifying corrupted humors." He is said to have used chicken soup to treat hemorrhoids, constipation, and leprosy, but especially for healing respiratory illnesses like the common cold.

Certainly, we have all heard of "Jewish penicillin." Henny Youngman used to quip, "A Jewish woman had 2 chickens. One got sick, so the woman made chicken soup out of the other one to help the sick one get well."

Of course, there are as many chicken soups out there as there are mothers and grandmothers! Scientists have even taken it upon themselves to study the recuperative powers of chicken soup. The results thus far have been inconclusive, mostly because nobody wants to take on the expense of formally studying chicken soup. (We do have money to fund research to find out that the reason you burn your mouth when eating pizza is that the sauce is too hotÉ Go figure!)

These days, few of us have the time to make chicken soup the way our mothers or grandmothers did. There are plenty of choices out there, though I prefer mine not to come out of a tin can. I find the idea distasteful. Part of what makes soup what it is, is the love involved in putting it together.

One of the greatest inventions, in culinary terms, is ready-made stock. Available in the refrigerated section of most supermarkets, it has already been infused with all the good stuff that youÕd put into it. Some are even low fat, low-sodium and a variety of other options. When making soup now, half the work has already been done!

When I was a little girl, there were three types of chicken soup on the menu: vegetable, rice or noodle. These remain my favorite choices now.

This is my quick fix chicken soup (just make enough so that you can heat up a heaping bowl when you are feeling like you need a magic hit). Bring at least 5 cups of stock to a rolling boil, add a quarter cup of short grain rice, a small can of garbanzos, a tablespoon or two of capers, a small onion and a couple garlic cloves diced, cut up small chicken wings or diced breast meat and freshly ground pepper. Cover and cook for 20-30 minutes.

The rice thickens the stock, the onions add a sweet, velvety finish, the garlic is just good for you (and it opens up your sinuses, especially with the help of the pepper - and you can add hot sauce as you serve). The garbanzos add protein and a little heft. The capers add a savory flavor. You can add dried herbs to taste. I love tarragon with chicken with a dash of lemon juice at the end. Oregano, basil, parsley are all good choices. I have also added a shredded carrot to refresh the concoctionÉ Like the Chinese Hundred Year Soup, you can keep adding vegetables and new chicken as the eating progresses. Broken vermicelli noodles, diced potatoes, squash, corn, anything that suits your soul: itÕs your soup, dress it any way you wish.

Have a happy and healthy New Year!

You can email me at kali.templeofdoom@gmail.com.