A Quick Prescription

MENU

Chicken Noodle Soup

Country bread with herb butter

Sauteed wild mushrooms, endive salad in vinaigrette Persimmons

There’s more than one way to make a pot of chicken soup. I like it with egg noodles and lots of hearty chunks of chicken. I’ve also made it with rice instead of pasta, and sometimes with bean threads (they cook fast and swell during cooking) enhanced with a few drops of fish sauce. Spaetzle works too, but takes just a bit longer to cook. And when there’s nothing else in the house, spaghetti does nicely.

You get the best-tasting soup if you simmer a whole chicken until it’s extra-tender and concentrate on the broth. But there are a few soup-making shortcuts you should know about if you’re pressed for time. Canned clear chicken stock is an obvious timesaver. You can also use fast-cooking boneless chicken breasts for the meat.

But because the soup is cooked too quickly to develop a full chicken flavor, the seasonings you choose are especially important. A hint of curry adds depth without overpowering the flavor. For extra fragrance, throw in chopped green onions and crisp-fried garlic at the end.

Another option: add minced fresh ginger root--it improves both the aroma and the taste. If you’d rather not have tiny ginger shreds floating in your soup, use a lightly smashed 1-inch piece of ginger during cooking and remove it before serving.

Serve the soup with country bread and herb butter. Start with a fresh salad--maybe endive tossed with sauteed wild mushrooms. For dessert, take advantage of the season and buy some fresh ripe persimmons. Freeze them like sorbet or a popsicle. Or make persimmon whip from soft ripe ones: Puree the pulp, then fold into beaten egg whites and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Staples

Oil

3 cloves garlic

1 medium onion

1/2 to 1 teaspoon curry powder

Salt, pepper

Shopping

6 boneless chicken breast halves

1 (14 1/2-ounce) clear chicken broth

1 package egg noodles or bean thread noodles

1 bunch green onions

Optional Side-Dish Shopping

French bread

Curly endive or arugula lettuce

Wild mushrooms

Persimmons

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

6 boneless chicken breast halves

3 cloves garlic

1 medium onion

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 to 1 teaspoon curry powder

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can clear chicken broth

1 3/4 cups water

4 ounces egg noodles or bean threads (soaked in warm water few minutes)

Salt, pepper

1 stalk green onion

Cut each chicken breast half into 4 pieces. Crush garlic. Coarsely chop onion.

Heat oil in saucepan. Saute garlic until crisp and golden. Remove garlic and reserve for topping. Add onion to pan and saute until tender. Stir in curry powder and chicken pieces. Add broth and water and bring to boil. Add noodles. Cover and simmer until chicken and noodles are done, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Chop green onion. Serve soup, sprinkled with crisp garlic and green onion.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: In place of chicken breasts, use 1 cut-up chicken with broth and enough water to cover. Simmer, covered, about 40 minutes or until tender before adding noodles. Also 1 teaspoon minced ginger root may be sauteed with onion, if desired.