This could be my defining image for 2020.
Although Michigan has been experiencing unseasonably warm temperatures of late, it seems like a good time to make soup.
The panic buying felt by the coronavirus maelstrom is like nothing I’ve ever witnessed. I’ve lived through the fallout of epidemics, famines and the scourge of the HIV virus, but the flames were never continuously fanned by instant media–non-stop overload. I jump each time my phone pings!
I’ve bumped shopping carts with rest of you purchasing staples, disinfectants and masks (I did this before the Surgeon General said it was a no-no), but no good comes out of operating in panic mode.
For my own sanity, I do what I and my characters always do when confronted with events out of our control; we make soup. My daughter recently advised me to try out a chicken soup recipe from Milk Street, our favorite recipe go-to magazine of late.
If you prefer a thicker broth, double the amount of flour that the recipe calls for.
Beaten egg yolks create a creamy silken texture and impart a lovely lemony color to the broth. I doubled the recipe (I’ve got several ailing friends), and added fennel seed and chopped fresh fennel, along with the carrots and onions, to the recipe. I love the flavor of fennel in brothy soups. If you like thicker soups, add a bit more flour.
Wash your hands, don’t touch your face, and be well, my friends!
Chicken Legs, copious herbs and aromatics make for a savory stock!
