John McCrory

In January it’s so nice… this week we happen to have a leftover chicken carcass on hand so a big batch of chicken stock is in order.

We’ll use the stock for a good winter warmup of Chicken Soup with Rice when the boys come in from playing in the snow tomorrow morning. We’re expecting 5 to 9 inches of the white stuff overnight and into Martin Luther King Jr. day.

To make the stock we began by grabbing some raw veggies we had on hand, then roasting them on a cookie sheet for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees. I happened to use

• 1 celery rib, split and chopped in thirds
• Half an orange bell pepper, cut in wide strips
• 1 medium onion, not peeled, cut in eighths
• a handful of green beans
• 1 carrot, split and chopped in thirds
• three cloves garlic, not peeled

Meanwhile, I took the leftover drippings from the roast chicken out of the fridge and discarded all but one tablespoon of the fat that coagulated on the top. I had about a cup and a half of drippings. I broke up the chicken carcass into manageable pieces, then browned them in the tablespoon of fat over medium high heat in our French Oven. I removed the pot from the heat, then added the drippings and the roasted veggies and added water to cover. For additional seasoning, I through in some salt, pepper, fresh sage, dried marjoram, and a handful of leaves from the celery. Unfortunately I didn’t have any parsley; I would have thrown about a cup and a half in.

Roasting and browning, along with the drippings should give the stock a heartier flavor. If I wanted a clear broth, I’d skip those steps and omit the drippings. For a super-clear broth, I’d use an uncooked chicken carcass.

I wanted make a big batch of stock (to freeze some in 1 cup portions later) so I filled the pot up with more water, about an inch and a half below the rim. I returned the pot to the heat, brought it just to the edge of a boil, then turned the heat down to low. Now, I am simmering it all afternoon, or about 5 to six hours. Every now and then I’ll check in on it, skim some fat off the top, and give the pot a stir or two.

Tonight I’ll use a colander and then a sieve to filter out all the veggies and chicken bits.

For tomorrow’s chicken soup with rice, we’ll chop up a few veggies, shred the leftover chicken, cook some rice, and that’ll be it. Our soup will include:

• chicken stock
• 1 carrot, chopped or sliced
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 1 scallion, chopped fine
• a handful of minced fresh dill
• shredded pieces of chicken

After it’s cooked, we’ll add in an appropriate amount of rice and serve to two red-cheeked boys. I’m not sure how the brightness of the dill and scallions will play against the hearty broth, but we’ll see!

Late last year Karen and I were enjoying warm bowls of mushroom barley soup we’d made and it was so easy and so delicious we wondered why we didn’t make soup more often. We decided right there to try to make soup every weekend. So, starting today and for the rest of the year, we’re going to make a different soup each week. We hope to discover some great soup recipes, and to add a great staple to our kitchen repertoire. But mostly, we just want to enjoy the most basic comfort food: soup.

Soup is easy to make, a nice starter to a weekend meal that cascades into lunches during the week. So, every weekend this year, we’re going to try to make a pot of soup Each week we will try something new.

Won’t you join in? We’ll never be able to come up with 52 different soups to cook!

We’re starting out with a simple split pea soup. And I mean simple:

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 2 to 4 hours

• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bag of dried split peas, rinsed
• 4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)
• a couple dashes Allspice
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1. Combine all ingredients in soup pot
2. Bring to a vigorous boil
3. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 to 4 hours or until split peas are very soft or dissolved and the soup is not too thick.
4. Optional: puree some or all of the soup with a hand blender.
5. If the soup is too thick for your taste, dilute with water and/or stock, a half cup at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.

If you want a vegetarian version but still want the smokiness of the bacon, you might try substituting a rind of salty cheese. I’ve used locatelli but have heard provolone works well: dice the rind, then fry in a scant mix of oil and soy sauce.

The verdict on our Split Pea with Bacon? I only used 2 strips of bacon, and it needed more. I also might add a little heat, perhaps a teaspoon of Colman’s mustard or some cayenne. But all in all it was a great warm comforting soup for a cold winter day.