When I was little, as soon as it got cold outside, I would want some homemade chicken noddle soup. I would see my mom in the kitchen with a huge pot on the stove, making as she called it homemade “brodo” (broth). When we were sick, my mom would quickly warm up the soup (she had it frozen in the freezer – what most Italian mothers do) and tell us that it would make us feel better. NOTE: It is always good to have frozen “brodo” in the freezer to keep on hand in case anyone is sick or you have company coming over.
As soon as I started getting a cold earlier this month (cough/scratchy throat), I got my big pot out, put it on the stove, and started throwing in the things needed to make this delicious soup. I have talked to a lot of my family members, co workers and friends and asked them what they did to make the best soup ever and talking to everyone, I’ve realized that there are so many different ways people make a simple soup. Some people use a whole chicken, some people use the chicken legs/thighs, members in my family throw in turkey necks and leftover chicken bones. Here is what I do when I want to make a quick BRODO at home.
What You Will Need:
- Pot (Larger in Size)
- 1 tomato (cut in four pieces)
- 1 large yellow or white onion (I use white and cut it in half)
- 3 large carrots (cut in circle pieces)
- 2-3 celery sticks (chopped in medium sized longer pieces
- 1 beef shank (clean in water)
- 1 package of chicken legs (clean in water)
- 1tsp of salt
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- 2-3 bay leafs ( I usually just put in 2)
THROW THIS ALL IN THE LARGE POT. FILL UP WITH WARM WATER. I usually put my soup on low for about 3.5-4 hours. After an hour of cooking, I put a handful of VEGETA (Gourmet Stock) in the soup. This enhances the flavor. Throughout the first hour, you are going to want to skim the top (with a spoon) all the fat coming up to the top and sides of the pot. Place this into a small bowl that you are going to keep next to the stove. I really don’t stir the soup (only once when I put in the VEGETA).
When the soup is done after 3-4 hours, make sure it is cooled down and then get a strainer. You are going to strain the broth into a container (I usually choose glass – so I can easily freeze it). You can throw out everything except the meat and the carrots. I absolutely love putting the meat and carrots as a topping to my homemade soup.
I put the broth in one container, carrots (cut them up small) in another container and the chicken in another container. I definitely like to add Parmesan cheese on top because it’s my absolute favourite. It adds more flavour. I definitely would recommend the Vanessa’s Bakery and Deli (LaSalle) or Homestyle Deli’s (South Windsor/Tecumseh) Parmigiano Reggiano.
I hope you enjoy! Make sure to tag me in your cooking pictures @scenesfromdinner on Instagram!
