Chicken Soup

• 1. Roast a large chicken for dinner according to package directions. Season as you like. I put 1/2 c water or so in the pan to keep the juices from burning on. Enjoy your dinner! (Don't make gravy with the juices... see step #2.)

  2. While still hot, pour the juices from the bottom of the roasting pan and the platter into a Pyrex measuring pitcher. Cover with plastic wrap (to prevent any accidents). Refrigerate so the fat will separate.

  3. Pick the chicken clean when it's still warm. Put the bones into an 8-quart sauce pot. Discard as much of the fatty parts as possible. (I discard the skin to avoid as much fat as possible.) Save all the meat, cover and refrigerate.

  4. Half fill the sauce pot with water. Bring to boil and boil gently for 45 - 60 minutes. Strain out the bones (can use a slotted skimmer or pour though a strainer or colander). If you're not going to make the soup right away, cool the broth for a while, then refrigerate.

  5. When ready to make the soup, heat chicken broth, and add the chopped onion, celery, and carrots. Add herbs and bay leaf. Bring to boil, then simmer gently until vegetables are done.

  6. Add rice or small pasta before vegetables are done so nothing gets overcooked. (If there's not much broth, cook the rice or pasta separately so the broth isn't all absorbed. (For rice, use a tiny bit more water than normal to cook, then add rice and water to the soup!)

  7. While the vegetables are cooking, cut and/or tear chicken meat into bite size pieces.

  8. When the vegetables are done, add the chicken meat to the soup along with the reserved refrigerated juices. (Just lift off and discard the fat that will have solidified on top of the juices, which will now be of jello consistency.) If you wish, add the can of condensed cream of chicken soup for thickening.

  9. Heat through.

One good addition is corn (in addition to or in place of the rice). If you've had corn with your chicken dinner, reserve the cooking liquid and add to the broth! Otherwise, you can just add half a package of frozen corn to the soup towards the end of cooking. (Frozen Green Giant Niblets are especially sweet.) Corn in chicken soup gives it a little sweetness and reminds me of my student days in England where, at that time, Chinese restraurants were among the cheapest and often served a velvety chicken and corn soup as part of their 3-course fixed price luncheon menus.