What I Made for Dinner: December 8, 2009

Chicken noodle soup and whole-wheat biscuits.

This is what it looked like in our backyard at 6:30 this evening.


There's no snow on the ground. The widely-heralded winter storm went north, mostly; the flurrying flakes in the photo are really the first we've seen all day. This was not a blizzard requiring an emergency run to the market.

Still, I had my roast-chicken-leftovers plan in place. And it was pretty bleak all day. It was nice to have hot soup on the stove.

Leftover-Chicken noodle soup

Carcass of a large roasted chicken, most meat removed
4 carrots, peeled
4 ribs of celery, leafy tops removed, chopped, and reserved
one large sweet onion, peeled and pierced with a fork
One bunch cilantro (or Italian parsley, if you prefer), tied with a string for easy removal
2 T ground ginger
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. egg noodles

Put all ingredients in a large soup pot. Cover with water and simmer on medium-low heat for 60-90 minutes, until the broth is golden and the bones have gone very soft. Remove bones and set aside to cool. Remove and discard the onion, cilantro bunch, and celery ribs. Remove the carrots and set aside. Pour the broth through a strainer into another large pot. Chop the cooked carrots and return to the pot. When the bones have cooled, pick off the remaining meat and add it to the broth. Add the celery tops. Stir, taste, and adjust seasonings; add more ginger, salt, or pepper as needed. Simmer 20-30 minutes. Add noodles and simmer 10 minutes more. Serve, adding more fresh cilantro as a garnish if desired.