It's inevitable - any homemade soup will always remind me of my Nunni. She was a product of another time when cooking wasn't something that people hurried through, when someone's time, energy, and love could be tasted in a delicate broth or a tender bite.
Nunni was an orphan who, as a teenager, worked for a wealthy family in McKeesport PA, keeping house and making meals. She made everything from scratch, of course, and while she retained some of the more traditional techniques and recipes from her Ukrainian background, it was her light, warm, comforting broths that I remember the most.
Feeling industrious, one day, years after Nunni passed away, I asked my mom to help me make homemade chicken and rice soup. Even before it was ready, when the broth was still watery and the chicken bones had yet to yield their salty goodness, I could tell that this soup - and indeed any homemade soup - was something special.
To call it and the canned or freeze-dried stuff by the same name is almost a crime. Homemade soup is delicate, warm filling, flavorful, and yet not at all salty or overpowering. Try it yourself. You'll see.
Chicken and rice soup
Begin with the following:
1 onion, quartered
3 ribs of celery, halved
3 carrots, peeled and halved
3 cloves of garlic, peeled but whole
1 tsp whole peppercorns
2 bay leaves
3# of chicken backs
Toss the above ingredients in your largest stockpot, as shown above. Cover to the rim with water, and turn the burner on high until the water begins bubbling on the surface. Turn the heat down to medium-low or whatever temperature will keep your liquid at a slow simmer. Simmer the broth for as long as possible, at least 4 hours. In the first hour, tend to the broth often, skimming foam and fat from the broth surface with a spoon or sieve. As you continue cooking, skim the broth at least twice an hour.
Once you have a suitable broth, which means it's thin and delicate but still flavorful, you can begin preparing the soup. Leave the broth on the burner, bubbling away - the flavors will continue to concentrate while you're chopping.
Gather the following:
1 tbsp butter
1# skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 rib of celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1/2 an onion, diced
1 cup of rice
Place a second stock pot over a medium heat and melt the butter. When it's beginning to bubble, add the chicken and sear the cubes lightly, about 3 minutes per side. Don't worry about cooking the chicken cubes through, because they will have plenty of time to poach in the broth once it's ready. Add your onions and a pinch of salt, letting them sweat for a few minutes. Be sure to mix the onions around with the chicken, scraping up any dark spots from the bottom of the pan. Add your celery and carrots and a pinch of salt. Give the veggies and chicken a quick stir and then set a colander on top of that pot, which we'll use to catch the solid chicken and vegetable parts from the first stock pot.
You may want to line the colander with paper towels or cheesecloth, especially if you didn't do the greatest job skimming the broth during the first hour of cooking.
Then, with great care, transfer the liquid from the first pot into the second pot, allowing the colander to strain out the stock base. Finally, add your cup of rice and stir.
You now have the makings of a great soup! At this point I'd add a generous pinch or two of salt, as well as some freshly cracked pepper, a bay leaf, and maybe even a Parmesan rind if you can get your hands on one (the grocery stores actually sell rinds for this purpose, can you believe it?).
Let the soup simmer until the rice is cooked through. Just before serving, taste for salt and add more as needed - but remember, this is delicate work! Don't overpower the broth - add just enough salt to bring out the base flavors of chicken, aromatic vegetables, and herbs. Fish out the cubes of chicken and shred them with two forks if you'd like - yet another homemade touch. Serve in a deep bowl with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, just like Nunni did. Enjoy.
