Homemade Soup

Lurker1972

A couple of weeks ago I made chicken soup
It stunk the house out but tasted pretty good even if it was a bit watery so was worth it, but the problem was storing it - how long should it keep in fridge? & can it be frozen??

pandora205

You can store soup in the fridge for up to 3 days. It freezes very well and makes a tasty lunch. I freeze in mugs and reheat from frozen until piping hot, then take to work in a flask.

Debt_Free_Chick

If you want a thicker soup, next time ..... At the end, drain the stock, add carrots, cook til soft and then whizz with a hand blender. Then add back the chicken and any other bits you want in the finished soup.

thriftlady_2

Lurker1972 wrote: »

It stunk the house out

What's wrong with the smell of chicken soup? My house always smells gorgeous when I make chicken stock.

Debt_Free_Chick

thriftlady wrote: »

What's wrong with the smell of chicken soup? My house always smells gorgeous when I make chicken stock.

Yes, but you have to remember that you and I are old [STRIKE]birds [/STRIKE]hands at this kind of thing :rotfl::rotfl:

I wonder if, like me, you can tolerate the smell of tripe being cooked too :eek: :eek: :rotfl::rotfl:

Stephen_Leak

If it was watery, it sounds as if it needs some more vegetables as a "base". Try this. I've had great results using leeks and/or celery to date. I still have a tub of it in the freezer and it is fine. I am going to do it with a carrot and potato next time.

CHICKEN SOUP

A simple, quick and easy recipe for chicken soup, using a leftover chicken carcass. A basic broth can be made with just the chicken, water, onion and pepper.

4 servings

INGREDIENTS
.
1 onion
100g to 125g of at least 2 additional vegetables (see below)
1 roast chicken carcass
1 litre of water
1 chicken stock cube
1 teaspoon of any herb
Ground pepper to taste

METHOD

Peel the onion and chop it into big pieces. Peel the other vegetables, if required, and chop them into 2cm (1 inch) pieces.

Put the chicken, onion, vegetables, water, stock cube and herb into a large saucepan on a medium heat. Stir thoroughly. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat until it is just boiling (simmering).

Put the lid on and cook for 1 hour. Check the liquid level from time to time and top up if it starts to dry out.

Fish out the carcass and put it on a plate. Remove any meat which is still on the bones, Put the meat back into the soup. Discard the bones.

If you have a food processor, put the soup in it and blend it to the desired consistency. If you have a hand blender, put it in the soup and blend it to the desired consistency. If you don’t have a food processor or hand blender, use a potato masher, press the soup through a sieve with the back of a spoon, or leave it lumpy.

Season with the pepper.

ADDITIONS & ALTERNATIVES

You an use carrots, celery, courgettes, leeks, mushrooms, tomatoes, parsnips, potatoes, swedes, turnips, etc. Using green vegetables and mushrooms will give a light and delicate broth. Using root vegetables and tomatoes will give a thick and hearty soup.

Sage would seem to be a good herb to use. After all, sage and onion does go with chicken.

For Chicken Noodle Soup, use green vegetables and add a small pack of noodles.

TIPS

Don’t panic, when you fish out fewer bones than you remember going in. Some will have dissolved into the soup, adding to the goodness.

Ted_Hutchinson

You can improve the calcium content of your home made stock by adding acid such as as teaspoon of Vinegar or lemon juice. I think it's worth doing as calcium from food sources is better utilized by the body.

You can also scrounge bones from your local butcher to make a marrow bone stock. These are not only particularly delicious but also extremely good for you. More information here

thriftlady_2

Ted_Hutchinson wrote: »

You can improve the calcium content of your home made stock by adding acid such as as teaspoon of Vinegar or lemon juice. I think it's worth doing as calcium from food sources is better utilized by the body.

I always do that bone broths are full of nutrients.

Aril

Potatoes will also thicken your soup.
Aril

Lurker1972

Thanks for all the replies - think the stink was cos I overdid the onion......

fingers crossed for 2nd attempt!