Chicken Soup for your Snowpocalypse

Everyone in DC is running to the grocery store for fear that they will be stuck in their apartment for weeks upon end, hemmed in by snow drifts, cut off from civilization, rabid and starving.


What could be better than chicken soup to comfort your snow-fear? I mean, as long as you are going to the grocery store anyways, grab a chicken rather than a second dozen rolls of toilet paper. Seriously people: how many dozen do you need? It's 2010. You'll be able to leave your house in two days, maximum. Plus, you will impress people with your domesticity.

Chicken Soup- recipe by my grandma.

Equipment: a 7-9 quart stock pot. A fine mesh strainer.

1 Chicken about 3-4.5 pounds

3 carrots

4 stalks celery

salt (to taste, depends on how much water you use and how big your chicken is)

1 bunch fresh parsley

1 small onion

Celery salt for serving

Wash your chicken and remove any giblets. Put him in a stock pot and cover with water (probably about 6 quarts). Peel the onion and cut it in half. Put both halves in along with a big bunch of fresh parsley and 1 whole stalk of celery. Cover and simmer for at least 2 hours. 3 hours is better! The chicken should be extremely tender when its done.

Remove from heat and let cool completely. If you are able to put it in a fridge and get it very cool, the fat and scum will congeal at the top and make it much easier for you to skim it off. I can never fit it in the fridge so I get a second large pot and stick it in the sink and place a fine mesh strainer on top. Then I pour the contents of the original pot over the strainer so I'm left with pure gold chicken stock below and the whole chicken and veggies in the strainer.

Discard the parsley, onion, celery and any skin and bones. Pick the chicken clean and put the meat back in with the broth. Further skim the surface to remove excess fat or crud and bring it back up to a simmer.

Slice your celery and carrots thinly and place them in simmering soup. Add salt and celery salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Let the veggies cook for about 40 minutes. Add two big handfuls of freshly chopped parsely and call it a day. Your soup is done!

The noodles in the photos are homemade (and damn, they look nothing like my grandmas). Eric shot a video of the noodle-making-process. And a process it was! I'll try to get him to upload it....

Stay warm, don't freak out people. Snow does melt! In the meantime, snuggle up with your loved ones and eat soup.