A Little Chicken Soup:It Couldn’t Hurt

On a cold winter day, nothing is more enticing to me than a bowl of homemade chicken soup. I find this the ultimate comfort food, perhaps because my mother prepared it every week when I was growing up. Usually it was a first course, embellished with light, fluffy matzo balls or fine noodles. The delicate broth was flavored with onion, carrot and dill.

When I moved to Israel, I discovered another type of chicken soup--my Yemenite mother-in-law’s spicy, hearty soup, seasoned with cumin, turmeric and garlic, with whole chicken pieces and often potatoes served in each bowl.

Now my husband and I enjoy main-course chicken soup several times a week as a convenient basis for quick, healthful meals. The soup reheats easily, so we keep some in the refrigerator or freezer and heat it when we need to put together a meal in a hurry. For a low-calorie, low-fat entree, we skim the broth carefully and remove the skin of the chicken.

To make the soup, we buy chicken pieces, put them in the pot, add water and flavorings, and the soup is done in about one hour of unattended simmering. We take turns seasoning the soup according to my mother’s European or my mother-in-law’s Middle Eastern recipe.

We use a big pot so there is room for plenty of vegetables. As the broth simmers, we put in the standard soup vegetables--onions, carrots, leeks, potatoes, winter squash or a little turnip or parsnip. Sometimes, during the last few minutes, we add mushrooms, green beans, sliced zucchini or asparagus. If we have parsley or green onions, we chop some and add it at the last minute.

We generally serve a chicken piece in each soup bowl, or we remove the meat from the bones, shred it and return it to the soup. Occasionally we follow the French example of presenting poule au pot (chicken in the pot) and serve the broth as a first course with noodles or rice, followed by the chicken and vegetables as a main course. The rice or noodles can be simmered in the soup, but we prefer to cook them separately so they won’t soften too much when we reheat the soup.

For an economical entree, instead of cut-up chickens, you can use whole chickens or drumsticks and thighs when they are on special at the market. Even if you want to serve clear chicken soup as a first course or to make stock for other recipes, it’s still a good idea to use meaty chicken pieces rather than just backs and necks, because the flavor will be better and you will have the bonus of cooked chicken to use in salads, pasta dishes or casseroles.

With a Mediterranean-style salad of diced tomatoes and cucumbers to begin the meal, good fresh bread or pita bread to accompany the soup, and fruit and espresso to follow it, chicken-vegetable soup makes a nutritious, practical lunch or supper. Best of all, it’s a delicious meal to come home to.

I usually peel the potatoes for this soup because I love the beautiful golden color they acquire from cooking in the spicy broth. But you can skip this step to save time. Serve the soup with pita bread, separately cooked white rice or couscous.

SPICY MAIN-COURSE CHICKEN-VEGETABLE SOUP

2 1/2 to 3 pounds chicken pieces

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 or 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths

1 large onion, whole or sliced

4 to 6 medium boiling potatoes, peeled

6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

4 medium zucchini, cut into thick slices

2 plum tomatoes, quartered, optional

8 ounces mushrooms, quartered

2 tablespoons chopped parsley, cilantro or green onions, optional

Remove fat from chicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cumin and turmeric. Place chicken in large casserole or pan. Add carrots, onion and potatoes. Add water to cover, about 2 quarts. Bring to boil. Skim foam from surface. Cover and cook over low heat 45 minutes.

Add garlic, zucchini, tomatoes and mushrooms and bring to simmer. Cover and cook over low heat 15 minutes or until chicken and vegetables are tender. Skim off fat (easier to do when soup is cold).

If desired, remove skin from chicken and cut meat from bones. Return chicken meat to soup. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve hot in fairly shallow bowls. Sprinkle with parsley. Makes about 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

228 calories; 116 mg sodium; 54 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 21 grams protein; 1.6 grams fiber; 21% calories from fat.

Serve this soup with fine noodles, small bow ties or other delicate pasta shapes, white or brown rice, or good crusty bread. The soup is ready in an hour, but if you let the chicken cook longer, the soup will taste even better.

CHICKEN-VEGETABLE SOUP WITH DILL

2 1/2 to 3 pounds chicken pieces

1 large onion, whole or sliced

4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths

2 bay leaves

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 (3/4- to 1-pound) piece winter squash, peeled and cubed, optional

2 large leeks, split, rinsed, trimmed and sliced

1/2 pound green beans, cut into 3 pieces, optional

8 ounces mushrooms, quartered

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill or 1 tablespoon dried

2 tablespoons chopped parsley, optional

Remove fat from chicken and place chicken in large casserole or pan. Add onion, carrots and bay leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add water to cover, about 2 quarts. Bring to boil. Skim foam from surface. Cover and cook over low heat 20 minutes.

Add squash and leeks. Bring to simmer. Cover and cook 20 minutes. Add green beans and mushrooms. Continue simmering, covered, 20 minutes or until chicken and vegetables are tender. Skim off fat (easier to do when soup is cold).

If desired, remove skin from chicken and cut meat from bones. Return chicken meat to soup. Discard bay leaves. Stir in dill and parsley. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve hot in fairly shallow bowls. Makes about 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

169 calories; 118 mg sodium; 54 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 20 grams protein; 1.3 grams fiber; 26% calories from fat.