One Tablespoon at a Time
I’m not sure how it happened, but in one day, we went from a family of four (and a half) healthy people to a family with only one healthy member–me.
As if by magic, the rest of my clan transformed into a bunch of runny-nosed, coughing germ carriers and luckily, at least at this writing, I still remain immune.
I’m not sure how long that will remain the case, but at least for now, I’m still smiling.
As the primary cook, when my lovies befall such conditions, I prepare my elixir of healing, more commonly known as chicken noodle soup.
I don’t want to brag, but as soon as I make and serve it, at least to my wife, the next day there is a huge improvement in her condition.
My daughters will have it for dinner tonight so hopefully, it’ll work its charms on them too.
As I started to create my version, I was curious to see what others have done in terms of ingredients used or steps taken to make said soup.
And honestly, most of the recipes out there are down-right boring.
I mean, I wasn’t looking for the most unique concoction out there but one that at least went beyond the very basic.
So, to help others who might be looking for a soothing remedy to their ills brought on by a cold, here is the recipe I make to rid my loves of their symptoms.
Enjoy!
Brandon’s Cold-Destroying Chicken Noodle Soup
3, 900 mL tetra-packs of chicken stock
1 tbsp butter
2 shallots, minced
3 carrots, cut in half (if thick), then sliced or in rounds (if the carrot is thin)
3 celery ribs, sliced
1 large tomato, diced
4 chicken breasts
2 stalks of lemongrass, white part only, cut in half and slightly smashed with a mallet
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
Juice from 1 Meyer lemon
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup Italian parsley, minced
DIRECTIONS:
Melt butter in a large stockpot set over medium-low heat. Add shallots and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add carrots and celery to pot and increase heat to medium-high. Cook vegetables, stirring often, until starting to lightly brown. Add all remaining ingredients to the pot and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Remove chicken breasts from soup, let cool slightly, then dice and return to soup. Simmer soup for 45 minutes to 1 hour. While soup simmers, bring a separate pot filled with water to a boil. Season with salt and cook desired pasta until al dente. Since I have little girls, I usually go with alphabet shapes or miniature star pasta, but whatever floats your boat will do. When soup is done simmering, remove bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste. Then fill a bowl with a serving of prepared pasta and spoon in several scoops of hot soup. I tend to serve this with either wholegrain baguette that has been smeared with butter and broiled until brown, or topped with aged cheese and broiled as well.
Let me know if this soup works on your cold or simply tastes like it could 
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