Monday Night Chicken Soup

Monday is the best day of the week.  It's my day to recover from the weekend.  The kids are back in school and there is no scheduled activity.   The weekends have a hurricane-like effect on the house.  Mondays I put my kitchen back together, cleaning every "toy," oiling all the cutting boards, polishing the steel, and so on.  It is meditative.

Monday food is particularly easy, because we are all satiated from eating everything that wasn't nailed down over the weekend (my only food rule on weekends is to go with the flow).  So Mondays are about fresh fruit, raw vegetables, yogurt, and chicken soup.

1 whole chicken (I like Mary's air-chilled natural chicken)

1 onion, peeled and quartered

2 stalks celery, cut in 1-2 inch pieces

2 medium carrots, cut in 1-2 inch pieces

1 sprig parsley

1 sprig thyme

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon black pepper corns

salt

1/4 - 1/2 package noodles

2 cups mixed vegetables, cut up --  I try to use up what's left over from the weekend.  Broccoli, leeks, tomatoes, cauliflower, fennel, squash, more celery, carrots, onions, a package of mixed veggies from the freezer, anything goes.  In fact, the variation in the veggies is what allows me to repeat this soup every Monday.

Remove the skin from the chicken and discard.  I just pull it off with my hands.  Sometimes it helps to grab the skin with paper towels.  Rinse the chicken and place in a stock pot with the rest of the ingredients except salt and noodles.  Fill with water to 1 inch over the top of the chicken (about 10 quarts).  Heat gently over medium heat to a simmer, uncovered.  Skim off any foam that may rise to the surface.  Reduce heat and simmer very gently on low heat for 1.5 hours, uncovered, until chicken is tender.  Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside to cool slightly.  Strain the broth into a casserole large enough to hold it (5 quart casserole usually works), and discard the solids.  Add the noodles with 1/2 tablespoon salt and cook on medium heat until they al dente.   Meanwhile pull the meat off the chicken in chunks.  Add to the pot with the vegetables and cook 15 minutes longer, or until all the vegetables are cooked.  Taste and adjust salt.

By the way, this is the recipe for chicken stock.  For stock, use only bones and no salt.  Strain the stock into a large bowl that is sitting in a larger bowl filled with ice and water, to cool it quickly.  Refrigerate it over night, so the fat solidifies on the surface. After removing the fat, you may strain the stock through paper towels and store for 6 months in the freezer (freezer bags work well).