Teeny-tiny cheese toasties with chicken noodle soup
SERVES 6 // PREP TIME 25 MINS // COOK 5 HRS 10 MINS
This chicken broth is really about capturing that roast chicken flavour. Served with noodles and a side of hot cheese toastie pockets it’s a completely satisfying carb-on-carb experience.
12 slices soft white sandwich bread, crusts trimmed
200 gm Raclette, cheddar or Swiss cheese, grated
1 egg, lightly beaten for eggwash
80 gm clarified butter
(see cook’s notes p168)
CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
1.5 kg chicken carcasses or wings
2 boneless chicken thighs 50 gm dried thin egg noodles, broken into pieces Coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley, to serve
1 For chicken noodle soup, preheat oven to 180°C. Roast chicken bones in a flameproof roasting pan until deep golden (1-1½ hours). Transfer to a large saucepan. Place roasting pan on the stovetop over high heat and deglaze with 250ml water, scraping base of pan, then add liquid to saucepan with enough cold water to cover bones (2.5-3 litres). Place over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, skimming scum from the surface, then reduce heat to low and simmer until broth is well-flavoured (2-2½ hours). Strain, discarding bones, and return broth to pan. Simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to 1.25 litres (1 hour), adding chicken thighs for the last 30 minutes of cooking. Season to taste. Transfer chicken thighs to a plate and stand until cool enough to handle, then coarsely shred.
2 Cook noodles in a saucepan of salted boiling water until just tender (5-8 minutes). Drain, refresh under cold running water and drain again. When ready to serve, heat broth, add the noodles, chicken and parsley and season to taste.
3 Preheat oven to 100°C and line a baking tray with baking paper. Cut each slice of bread into four triangles and place half on a sheet of baking paper. Top with a heaped teaspoon of cheese, placing it in the centre of each triangles.
Brush edges with eggwash and sandwich with remaining bread, pinching edges to seal. Heat half the clarified butter in a frying pan over medium heat, add half the toasties and fry, turning once, until golden (2-3 minutes each side). Place on prepared tray and keep warm in oven while you cook remaining toasties. Serve with soup.