Scarlet Fever and Holy Chicken Soup

Holy Chicken Soup!
Child has scarlet fever!

When the doc said "She's got scarlet fever." I almost pooed.

"Eeek. How medieval!" (to have scarlet fever and to poo wherever).

"Kid's got the Scarlet Fever! Quarantine the goats and bring me a chook! I'll fix this lurgy with some Holy Chicken Soup, if it's the last thing I do."

My woggy chicken soup is pretty delicious. I go 'oooo' when I eat it and hubby goes 'hmmm'. Brother goes '... how'd y'make it?' Brother also goes '...why don't you ever mention me on your blog (tongue in cheek- kinda)?'

This one's for you Brother: una ricetta famigliare per te, perche qualcuno dev'essere il eroe, no?

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Holy Chicken Soup/ Zuppa di Pollo Santo

An important thing to think about when making this soup is to not turn off your sense of smell. It needs to smell 'green' and 'fresh'. Never heavy and rustic. It stays on the oven top for 1-1.5 hrs and you learn to know what to do next by smell. Another tip is to keep a small white receptacle near the broth so that you can periodically pour a spoonful into it for testing the colour of the broth. It should stay bright yellow. If it begins to dull in colour and smell, then it's overdone. Chuck it out. Another must is that, where possible, use all free range and or organic goods. If the veg aren't organic, use double the amount in the recipet. If the chook isn't free range, don't try making the broth at all because it will taste like ruddy water. Capisce?

The broth needs to be reduced to concentrate the flavour. It freezes really well. It's great used with wine and fruit to slow cook lamb. It makes a brilliant risotto, with just an onion, garlic and pea base. It should almost be too falvoursome; good for diluting later if need be. My favourite way to digest this doosie is to drink it like tea all day long if supporting a flu: plain broth with diced ginger in the bottom of the bowl. Primo!

Ingredients
1 big chook
a head of celery
3 onions
3-4 carrots
salt and pepper
1 large clove of garlic
1-2 bay leaves

For serving A
1 egg per/2 people
parmesan cheese
italian parstley
lemon juice
pasta (noodley,risone or tortellini)

Prep
Wash the chook, inside and out. This groses me out. It's a similar weight and texture to a new
born baby in the bath. Plop into an empty, very large pot. Peel onions and half. Chop carrots and celery super coarsely. And bung in anything else from the ingredient list that I've missed out. This takes less than 5 minutes.

Fill the pot with cold water. Hold the chook down as if drowning it because it will float up. Holding the chook down, raise your fingers vertically and stop the water once it reaches your middle knuckle height ie., round 3 inches from the top of the chicken.

Cook
Place on high heat.
Bring to the boil.
As soon as it comes to the boil, turn down the heat to just under medium and cover.
Every 5-10 mins or so, scoop the scum from the top.
After an hour, start testing the colour.
Poke the carrots to see if still firm, but soft.
Try to pick up the chook from the leg.
If you can feel the leg bones begin to detach from the body: you're in business.
Ready to lift.

Lift
If you choose to drain through muslin, it'll be clear and incredible to look at.
If you don't, at least pass a fine net sieve through the broth to get as much goop out as possible.
Personally, less goop, the better.
A clean tea towel is good draining option.

Need a huge bowl and a seive for the drained broth to pour into and another large receptacle for the cooked chook and veg to settle in once draining is done. Once drained, return broth back to pan and cover the set- aside chook and veg for later. Take the dripped juice from the bottom of the drained bowl and pop back in the pan with the rest of the ready-to-go brodo. This takes me about 15 minutes. Test for salt at this point.

The quantity of broth should be about a third of the original amount of water; enough for 4 large serves of soup and enough to make a large 4-5 person risotto.


Serving
Grab another smaller pot and transfer enough broth to serve the number of people you're feeding. Refrigerate the remainder. Add pasta. Bring to heat to a mild bubble, not near boil. Remember to watch the colour. Too much heat will dull the yummy yellow. Keep covered.

When the pasta has cooked past al dente, beat one large egg. Bring the broth to a bubble and
slowly pour the egg into the broth. Gently-gently whisk the egg through and lift. Rest.

The egg should be like long ribbons, not the same
as Chinese chicken and corn soup-style egg.
The temperature of the broth before adding egg is the trickiest part of this
meal.



Serve with a heaped table spoon of good Parmesan cheese, a shake of parsley and a dribble of lemon juice.


Sorry about the quality of the finished product.My camera was just out of batteries, so the focus is shite.

Vedi: Risi con Pisi, made from the stock