For soup I prefer my own stock to store bought and you will too. I started with my two favorites, Martha and Ina, and the result is a hybrid of their methods. But what actually goes in varies based on what veggies I have to contribute. My preference is for half an onion, a clove of garlic (halved, skin on), a couple carrots and a couple stalks of celery. Sometimes I add rosemary and parsley. I always add thyme. I feel like thyme is the best with chicken. I put all the veggies in a slow cooker, with a teaspoon of kosher salt and a half teaspoon of peppercorns. On top of that, I add my chicken. It is usually a chicken back leftover from a roast chicken and about 6-8 nearly charred chicken wings to add more body to the stock, and of course a bay leaf. Add water to cover.
I set the slowcooker to medium before bed and wake up to a glorious smell in the morning.
Here are some favorite soup recipes:
Chicken Noodle Soup
It seems like everyone is sick right now. This is a very nice gift to an under the weather neighbor or to yourself. I have made many different recipes and have decided I like Tyler Florence’s best. I wanted to love Ina’s but she uses so many chickens (3!). And honestly, you can’t really tell the difference. If you make an exceptional stock out of chicken parts, I don’t think you need to go to the trouble of boiling multiple whole chickens !!!
Ina Garten’s minestrone
This is quite possibly my favorite soup of all soups. I never thought it would be a minestrone. As Ina does, she has a few steps that make this excellent (they really turn up the volume). The wine at the end of the preparation is particularly important. It really adds to the flavor. For this reason, do not skimp on the wine you use. Use a kind that you would enjoy drinking. Also use a nice pesto.
