CHICKEN BROTH
I’m always amazed at the restorative powers of a bowl of soup – this broth is truly medicinal! Of course, there are quicker ways to start the process than with a whole chicken, but it makes all the difference to the taste.
Serves 8 • Preparation: 40 minutes • Cooking time: the longer, the better
• 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
(or buy a braai pack)
• 2 large potatoes, cut into 2cm pieces
• 2 turnips, peeled and cut into 2cm pieces
• 1 bunch soup celery (leaves and stems), chopped
• 5 carrots, coarsely chopped
• 4 leeks, coarsely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, whole
• 2L chicken stock
• 2cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 2cm fresh turmeric, peeled and grated
• about 60ml coarsely chopped fresh parsley, (optional) 1 Fry the chicken pieces in a large pot on the stove. Try using the chicken’s own fat, but add a dash of oil if you need to.
2 Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the ginger, turmeric and parsley, and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently until the chicken falls off the bone. If it looks like there’s too little liquid, feel free to add a little extra.
3 Let the soup cool slightly before carefully scooping off all the excess fat; discard the fat.
Carefully scoop the chicken out of the soup, remove the skin and bones and flake the meat.
4 Place the soup with the ginger and turmeric in a food processor and purée. Stir the chicken back into the soup, heat until piping hot and season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a little fresh parsley.
TIP If you like your soup completely smooth, process the deboned chicken with the soup.
1 Season the chicken with salt and pepper and fry in the olive oil until golden-brown and fragrant; scoop out and set aside. Now fry the onion, carrots, celery and spinach veins slowly in the same pot until the vegetables are tender and start to brown.
2 Stir in the garlic and flour and fry for another minute. Beat in the stock and milk, bring to the boil and simmer for about 5 minutes until slightly thickened. 3 Return the chicken to the pot, along with the spinach leaves, and simmer for another 5 minutes.
4 Stir the gnocchi into the soup and simmer until cooked (ready-made gnocchi takes up to 8 minutes and fresh gnocchi only about 3 minutes; consult the packet). Serve piping hot with a sprinkle of Parmesan.