Soup From A Nail Revisited

We did the chicken soup from nothing again this week.  Found one lone chicken breast and a neck and a backbone in the freezer.  Made stock from the bony parts (I add carrot, onion, bay leaf and some cilantro along with salt and pepper.) While the stock simmered, I sauteed the breast in a skillet in olive oil with only salt and pepper.  


During the time everything was cooling, I peeled and chopped the two carrots and diced up the rest of the onion.  Found a few peas in the freezer.  Things were coming together.  Chopped up a dried tomato, and some more cilantro.  Think color. Sauteed the veggies for a few minutes.


Strained the broth and added chicken and vegetables.  Cooked until carrots were tender.  Added more salt and pepper.  And a can of chicken broth.  
Cooked some very fine (as in narrow) noodles in water to which a bouillon packet had been added.  When they were done, put the noodles in the soup.  It also tasted very fine, not hearty, but substantial enough for dinner.  Being on a diet, we ate it with salad and breadsticks.   I favor the skinny ones, grissini, because you can eat quite a few without blowing the carb or the calorie count. 


The old folk tail, soup from a stone, or soup from a nail, or soup from whatever charmed me as a kid.  Here is the Wikipedia link. 


Soup From a Nail

Chicken Soup From a Nail

Not chicken soup for the soul, but rather a belly-warming nourishing soup for practically nothing.

I started with the reduced broth I used to cook some chicken breasts that had both bone and skin, so there was some substance to it. I always cook chicken breasts or pieces with aromatic vegetables for more resonance. I had a small piece of pork tenderloin that I chopped up and added to the chicken.

Apropos the chicken, I always have a cup or so of white meat "scraps" in the freezer. Bits and pieces not used in another dish. Could be trimmings or just extra.

O.K. Chop up something from the onion family. I used three scallions, but anything will do as well. I chopped up some carrot, celery, and one clove of garlic and set them to cook in a mixture of butter/olive oil.

I added some peas that that been defrosted and a few chopped grape tomatos. Then I added the broth and some thyme, marjoram, a pinch of rosemary and some dehydrated chives. A goodly sprinkle of sweet paprika. Salt and lots of pepper. Add chicken and cook until the veggies are tender.

In a separate pot, cook 1/3 cup of rice in some water. When the rice is done, add to the soup and cook a few more minutes. Correct seasonings and serve.

I made some biscuits from low-fat Bisquick and 2% milk. They were delicious, especially with softened whipped butter. Yum!

The taste is good and believe it or not, it sticks to the ribs. I made the soup from stuff on hand, bits and pieces. It was like free food.

We ate the leftover biscuits for breakfast with butter and honey. I love Bisquick. They have a recipe for "onion cheese supper bread" that is the best. Google it.

Regards from the Cheeseparer