Cream of Chicken Soup and Stock

This beats the crap out of tinned soup. Pity it doesn't come with a label on it, Andy Warhol would have to be resurrected. Eat your heart out Campbell's soups. !!!

INGREDIENTS

a chicken carcass

1 potato, or a few small bottled potatoes,

1 onion,

1 turnip,

1 parsnip,

1 carrot,

2 stock cubes,

fresh ginger* and turmeric*

*Both the ginger and the turmeric are optional, However, the ginger adds a great tang to the flavour of the stock and soup, and the turmeric gives a pleasant colouring to your dishes (and to your fingers, if you don't wash them immediately after using it). If you don't find fresh ginger or turmeric, don't worry, both are readily available in powdered form.

STEPS

1)Put the chicken carcass into a large pan.

2)Peel and slice the vegetables into largish chunks, dice the turmeric, and cut 4 or 5 fine slices of ginger. Put the vegetables, spices, and stock cube into the pan, on top of the bones.

Cover with water and boil on a medium/low flame for around thirty minutes.

IMG_1084

IMG_1087

IMG_1086

IMG_1088

3)Once the vegetables are cooked (pinch them with a fork, and if they fall off it, they are cooked), empty the pan into another pan, using a large sieve to separate the vegetables and bones from the liquid.

Cover, and leave to cool.

The liquid is CHICKEN STOCK!

4)Once cooled, pour part of the stock into hermetic bowls for freezing, then separate the vegetables from the bones and return them to the remaining stock.

IMG_1091

IMG_1093

IMG_1094

IMG_1096

5)Remove all the meat from the bones and add it to the vegetables and stock. It never fails to surprise me just how much meat there is.

Throw the bones into the bin!

6)Using a blender, blend the chicken, vegetables and the stock, then repeat the operation passing the stock from one pan to another using a metal strainer. That way you will be sure you have a completely smooth and creamy chicken soup.

IMG_1097

IMG_1099

IMG_1103

THAT'S IT, YOU NOW HAVE CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP AND STOCK !!!

JUST ADD SOME CROUTONS +/OR WHATEVER ELSE YOU FANCY

7)When preparing the soup it is important to heat it well.

a)Bring the soup to the boil, then simmer for about eight minutes.

b)If you are adding vegetables* to your soup, they should be added when the soup reaches boiling point. Eight minutes is sufficient time for them to cook.

c)Remove the soup from the flame, then add a knob of butter, and stir gently so that it slowly melts, giving your soup a superb glossy finish.

d)Add croutons and serve. The croutons are obviously optional, but serving is not!

*if you are adding potatoes, turnips, parsnips etc, which generally require 20 minutes cooking time, just cut them into small pieces ( dice them), and they will cook perfectly in 8 minutes.