Stock (Pot) Report

Fall chicken soup makes a delicious informal supper on those days when you’re inclined to stay in for a quiet meal. The soup is laden with quickly shredded vegetables and graced at the last minute with Puff Balls, cloud-like dumplings I discovered in a cookbook published in 1919 by the First Presbyterian Church of Mankato, Minn.

Cook the stock at least a day ahead, using a roasting chicken rather than a fryer because its flavor is richer and it provides enough good meat for a substantial main dish later.

Relishes work well with this steaming soup, adding contrast with their coolness and vibrant flavors. Try pickled beets, chow-chow, spiced apple slices or sweet cucumber pickle slices.

For dessert, a rich chocolate chip cake coated with a fudge frosting provides a perfect closing.

The Puff Balls in this soup are Mrs. Gus Kleinschmidt’s recipe from “Cooking for the Joyful Eater” (1919), virtually unchanged except for the addition of curry spices. These puffy dumplings can be made a day ahead and held in the refrigerator without becoming heavy. Arrange them in a single layer in a large glass baking dish with cooking water coming up one inch on the sides and cover loosely with foil. Let them come to room temperature before reheating in the soup or gently warming in the microwave. Handle carefully--they’ll be fragile.

The chicken stock can be refrigerated for two days or frozen for as long as three months. The chicken meat left from making the stock measures about six cups, loosely packed; I like to use two cups in the soup and reserve the rest for a salad.

FALL CHICKEN SOUP WITH SHREDDED VEGETABLES AND PUFF BALLS

Chicken Stock

1 large rutabaga, about 1 1/4 pounds, peeled, split and shredded

2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded

2 medium parsnips, peeled and shredded

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups reserved cubed cooked chicken from stock

Dash cayenne pepper

5 large green onions, thinly sliced

4 romaine lettuce or large spinach leaves, julienned

Puff Balls

Place Chicken Stock in pot and add rutabaga, carrots, parsnips, cumin and salt. Bring to boil. Simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Add chicken. Heat through. Add cayenne. Adjust seasonings to taste.

To serve, stir in green onions and lettuce. Ladle soup over Puff Ball centered in each warmed shallow soup dish. Makes 10 servings.

Chicken Stock

1 (6-pound) roasting chicken, cut into 8 pieces

1 medium onion, quartered

2 medium carrots, scrubbed and cut into 2-inch chunks

2 medium celery stalks, cut into 2-inch chunks

1 bay leaf

3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

5 1/2 cups water

Combine chicken, onion, carrots, celery, bay leaf, chicken broth and water in large stockpot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 1 1/2 hours.

Remove chicken from pot using tongs. Cover chicken with foil and cool slightly. Remove meat from bones in chunks, discarding skin, fat and bones. Reserve 2 cups cubed chicken for soup.

Refrigerate cooled meat and stock. When fat solidifies on surface of stock, remove and discard. Remove and discard bay leaf. Using slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to processor or blender. Puree until smooth and stir into stock.

Puff Balls

1 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons milk

2 eggs

3 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine, melted

Bring 4 or more quarts water to boil and keep at simmer.

Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, curry powder and salt in small bowl. Combine milk, eggs and melted butter in another small bowl. Froth well with fork. Slowly pour into flour mixture, stirring with wooden spoon just until it becomes smooth, stiff batter. Don’t overbeat.

Dip tablespoon into glass of cold water, then into batter for level measure. Gently roll batter with fingertips into rough ball. Place on platter. Repeat procedure with remaining batter.

Gently drop balls into simmering salted water. Simmer, covered, 3 minutes. Using spoon, turn balls over in water. Simmer until puffy and tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Makes 10 servings.

Each serving contains about:

544 calories; 561 mg sodium; 134 g cholesterol; 32 g fat; 25 g carbohydrates; 36 g protein; 1.5 g fiber; 54% calories from fat.

Here’s the quickest way I know to convert the chicken meat from the soup stock into a sensational main course. The salad can be made a day ahead and refrigerated.

CHICKEN COUSCOUS SALAD

2/3 cup chicken stock or broth

Grated zest 1 orange

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/3 cup golden raisins

3/4 cup quick-cooking couscous

3 1/2 to 4 cups cubed cooked chicken

3 green onions, thinly sliced

2 celery stalks, thinly sliced

1/2 sweet red pepper, minced

1 small pickling cucumber, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon safflower oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Cayenne pepper

Salt

Romaine leaves, cut julienne, optional

Pour stock into saucepan, add orange zest, orange juice, cumin and raisins. Bring to boil and remove from heat. Add couscous, stir, cover and set aside 10 minutes.

Put couscous in large mixing bowl and add cubed chicken, green onions, celery, sweet pepper and cucumber. Stir well with fork.

Add safflower oil and balsamic vinegar. Season to taste with cayenne and salt. Mix well with fork.

If mixture seems too dry, add chicken stock (mixture should not become so moistened that it clumps). Serve chilled or warm on julienned romaine lettuce leaves. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

175 calories; 353 mg sodium; 22 g cholesterol; 5 g fat; 23 g carbohydrates; 11 g protein; .5 g fiber; 24% calories from fat.

Lacing this not-oversweet cake with semisweet mini-morsels adds a swirl of chocolate richness, underscored by the Fudge Frosting. The cake can also be baked in a large bundt pan or in two layers (be sure to lightly coat those alternatives with flour after greasing them generously); let the wood pick do the determination of baking time. Cake can be made a day ahead and kept at room temperature, covered airtight.

FUDGE-FROSTED DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE

1 1/4 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter or margarine, softened

1 3/4 cups sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup hot water

3 eggs

3/4 cup light sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 (12-ounce) package semisweet mini chocolate chips

Fudge Frosting

Generously grease 10- or 9-inch springform pan. Wrap bottom of pan with foil to avoid leakage.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt onto sheet wax paper.

Cream butter and sugar in mixer until fluffy. Add cocoa and mix on lowest speed. Still on low speed, slowly add hot water. Mix until smooth and flowing. Increase speed to medium. Add eggs, 1 at time, until well mixed. Add sour cream and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Add reserved sifted dry ingredients, mixing until smooth.

Transfer batter to prepared pan. Measure 1 1/3 cups chocolate chips and sprinkle evenly over surface. Use knife to swirl in chips, leaving many still on surface.

Place cake pan on baking sheet on center rack of 350-degree oven. Bake at 350 degrees until wood pick inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes.

Place on rack and lightly sprinkle remaining chips over warm cake. After chips have melted, use rubber spatula to spread as evenly as possible over top of cake.

Let cake cool completely. Use flexible knife to separate cake from sides of pan. Remove springform collar. Spread Fudge Frosting on top and sides of cooled cake. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Fudge Frosting

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup whipping cream

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, cut in small pieces

1/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla

Combine sugar and cream in heavy 1-quart saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Lower heat so mixture boils slowly. Cook, uncovered, until thickened and syrupy, about 6 minutes, stirring often so mixture doesn’t burn.

Remove from heat. Immediately add chocolate and butter. Stir until smooth. Stir in vanilla.

Refrigerate until frosting is well chilled and has partially set but is not solid. If too cold and hard to spread, process in food processor or beat with wooden spoon until smooth.

Each serving contains about:

1,100 calories; 175 mg sodium; 106 g cholesterol; 56 g fat; 112 g carbohydrates; 11 g protein; .5 g fiber; 46% calories from fat.