We can’t thank all our entrants enough for sharing their delicious homemade soups with us. We can’t help but feel healthy after all that chicken soup!
And, of course, a very special thank you to our amazing judges, Sam Gallant of WTMD, Tom Lovejoy, executive chef for Eddie’s of Roland Park, Tony Gambino of Ciao Bella Restaurant in Little Italy, and Marvin Pinkert, JMM executive director.
Best Chicken Soup in Maryland: Betsey Kahn’s “Good Old Fashioned Chicken Soup”
1 Roasting chicken
3 Carrots, sliced
4 Celery stalks, sliced
3 medium Onions, sliced
2 large Cloves of garlic
½ large Lemon, juice and rind
1 Tsp Pepper
1 Tbsp Salt
1 Tbsp SeasonAll
6 C Water
1 ½ C medium Barley
2 pkts Chicken HerbOx
2×32 oz Chicken broth
16 oz Frozen corn
16 oz Frozen peas
Place the chicken, either whole or cut up, in a 4 qt. pot. Put celery, carrots, onions, and garlic in the pot. Add 6 cups of water, salt, pepper, lemon juice, lemon rind, and SeasonAll.
Cover the pot and bring the liquid to a boil, turn the heat down and cook for at least 2 hours. The chicken will be “fall off the bone” at that time. With a slotted spoon, remove the chicken from the pot to a plate and remove the skin from all the parts. BE CAREFULL TO REMOVE ALL BONES FROM THE BROTH.
Add as much of the pulled chicken as you want in the broth. Add the barley to the broth and cook for another ½ hour.
Add frozen corn and peas to the broth as well as the 2 packets of HerbOx and (2) 32 ounce boxes of chicken broth. Continue cooking for another ½ to ¾ of an hour.
ENJOY EATING MY GOOD OLD FASHION CHICKEN SOUP!
Best Traditional Chicken Soup: Mary Brady’s “Schmaltzy Soup”
Take a chicken, young or “stewing” (e.g., OLD). This recipe does not discriminate.
Discard the neck and Chop up the giblets.
Cover the chicken in cold water in a BIG pot. Boil that devil for a few minutes and then simmer it for an hour, until the meat falls off the bones.
For each chicken, shred a pound of carrots, celery and shallots. Saute the shredded vegs and giblets in schmaltz for Kosher version; butter for non-Kosher version.
Add Minor chicken base to the stewing chicken (this is the top-knotch chicken stock; available at BJ’s; if you can’t get it use any chicken stock.) Add vegetable stock, as well – about a quart of stock for each bird.
Pick out anything you don’t want to eat, e.g. bones and giant pieces of skin. Leave some skin in. Combine the sautéed vegs and the meat and simmer all for an hour.
Cool in the fridge overnight and then take off most of the fat – leave about a third. Bring to a boil – add a pound of Maneschevitz curly egg noodles – cook until the noodles are al dente.
Enjoy!
Best Alternative Chicken Soup: Adam Yosim’s his “Tom Kha Chai”
Broth:
3 lb chicken wings
1 large onion, quartered
1-2 garlic cloves, smashed
3 quarts water
salt & pepper.
Cook in crockpot 4-5 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. Strain.
Soup:
2-3 quarts chicken broth
1 T each ginger & garlic, chopped
1/4 cup red curry paste
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 cups shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 can coconut milk
1 lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
2-3 T fish sauce
Garnish:
cilantro, scallions, lime wedges.
Cook garlic, ginger & curry page for 5 minutes over med heat, add chicken thighs and stir 2 min.
Add vegetable, cook 3 min.
Add broth, coconut milk, fish sauce, bring to boil, simmer 20 min.
Serve with garnishes.
Director’s Choice: Lan Pham Wilson of Morestomach Blog‘s “Lemongrass Chicken Soup”
Homemade stock:
1-2 kosher chicken carcasses
3 large carrots, trimmed & rough chopped
3 stalks of celery, rough chopped
6 lemongrass stalks, trimmed & slightly bruised
2″ knob of ginger, slightly smashed
3-4 garlic gloves, whole but slightly smashed
handful of kefir lime leaves
1 med onion, quartered
3-4 red thai chilis, whole and scored
palm-full of whole black peppercorns
water.
In a crock pot, add all the stock ingredients in and add water till it covers everything. lid, turn on low and walk away, 4-8 hours. Strain.
Soup:
2-3 carrots, washed, peeled & diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
meat of kosher rotisserie chicken, shredded
1/2 cup rice
1/8-1/4 cup kosher fish sauce
1 T oil.
Extra flavoring:
2-3 lemongrass stalks, slightly bruised
1″ knob of ginger, slightly smashed
1-2 garlic cloves, slightly smashed
1/2 small onion, cut in half
1-2 red thai chilis, whole and scored
splash of neutral oil
In small frying pan gently warm a splash of oil and sauté all the ingredients. Keep on low & every so often move the ingredients around so they don’t feel neglected and burn.
Garnish:
limes, chopped cilantro, chopped red chili
In a big pot, heat oil & saute diced onion until softened.
Add in minced garlic, carrots & celery, mix thoroughly. Pour in the stock. Add in the extra flavoring & shredded chicken, and bring to a boil.
Lower to simmer, add rice, stir, put on lid & simmer 15 min.
Season with fish sauce, to taste.
Serve with garnish. BAM!
Best “Free From” Chicken Soup: David Guy-Decker’s “No Chicken Chicken Soup”
½ medium white onion
2 T grated fresh ginger
2 cups each diced parsnip & celery
1 head diced celery
1 cup parsley
1 small head Chinese cabbage
16oz extra firm tofu
as needed: extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, crushed peppercorns.