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Wednesday 5 September 2012

CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE SOUP


Good Morning to you,

Have you noticed how quickly the nights are drawing-in and how the mornings are getting a little fresher. Do you feel the chill in the air?  Mother Nature is telling us that  autumn is on it's way.

When the weather turns colder, for me, soup is the order of the day and chicken and vegetable soup is one of my favourites, it's very healthy with lots of good ingredients.



INGREDIENTS




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1 chicken carcass with some meat left on
(If you prefer use pre-made chicken stock, but you will also have to buy a chicken breast)
4 carrots
1 onion
handful of celery including leaves
8 average sized potatoes
250g red split lentils
1 x 250g tin of butter beans
(or if using dried, soak overnight and cook until tender)
1 x 250g tin of tomatoes
(if your homegrown tomatoes are plentiful,  use them, but remember to remove the skins ( mine are not very good due to the bad weather so I have used tinned tomatoes)
2 cloves of crushed garlic
Olive Oil



Place the roasted chicken carcass in a large saucepan and cover with water.  
I place a quartered lemon in the cavity when roasting the chicken
 and I don't remove the lemon
 when simmering the chicken.
 I leave the cut lemons in the cavity as
 this imparts a mild lemony
 flavour to the soup.

Bring to the boil and reduce
 the heat so that the contents are
 gently simmering.

Simmer for about an hour.


Meanwhile, chop the onion


Peel and chop the potatoes and place in cold water until needed.


Chop the celery and celery leaves



Put some olive oil in a saucepan, I use enough just to cover the base of the pan and add the onion and celery, cook on a low heat until the onions are translucent. To prevent the onions from browning, add a sprinkle of salt. 


Add the chopped carrots 


Cook for a further 5 minutes until everything is coated with olive oil. 


 Add the grated garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.
  



Remove the chicken carcass from the saucepan and  place on a plate.

Remove the chicken from the carcass and set aside

Drain the stock from the saucepan through a sieve to make sure there are no bones remaining in the liquid. 

Return the stock to the original saucepan.

Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic mixture to the stock.


Add the red split lentils.


 Add the potatoes


 Add the tomatoes

Simmer for 45 minutes - 1 hour


 Add the butter beans


Add the chicken 


 Check for seasoning

At this point I add the juice of half a lemon .... be careful because when I lived in Cyprus, I only added a quarter of  the lemon juice, as the lemons came from our tree and were juicy, but here in England the lemons don't impart as much juice.  Less is more, you can always add extra lemon juice, but you can't take it away. 

When you are pleased with the flavour, plate up.



We enjoy this soup with crusty bread. Often I will add small dumplings just for a change. Fresh spinach is also nice to add just before the end of the cooking time.
This is also a tasty vegetarian dish, just omit the chicken and make or buy a vegetable stock.
If you prefer a thicker soup add a few more red split lentils.
Also  you can use any type of beans, I have used chickpeas before, don't be afraid to ring the changes as soup isn't an exact measurement, you will get a feel for how you like your soup, so just make this soup your own. 

This is a cheap nourishing meal.  I cook a large batch and then freeze it in portion sizes, so it is always on hand when we need a quick supper.

I hope this becomes part of your family menu as it is a much healthier option than buy pre-made soup and very much cheaper.

This week I will be joining,



Take care and I will see you later in the week.

Until then,






21 comments:

  1. Good morning Daphne, I love chicken soup and have 4 good sized chickens waiting in the freezer for cooking and then soup making. I have never added lemon juice, just might have to try that the next time. I love homemade soup and can't wait to start making some.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good Morning Linda, I find a little lemon juice gives a nice background flavour to the soup. I also find I don't use as much salt.I would say, add just a little and taste, that way you will find what suits your palate. Best Wishes Daphne

      Delete
  2. Dear Daphne,i love chicken soup!Especially a make it on winter!Nice recipe!Have a lovely day!
    Dimi..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good afternoon Dimi, yes I agree I love chicken soup aswell. It will still be lovely and warm in your part of the world, but here it's getting a little colder so I am stocking my freezer with soup. Take care, Best Wishes Daphne

      Delete
  3. The chicken soup looks wonderful, Daphne. It would be delicious on a crisp autumn day.
    -Karen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good Morning Karen, Thank you for your kind comment. It is such an easy soup, I know I took lots of photos, which might make it look like a lot of hard work, but once the stock is made, you can get on preparing the vegetables and then leave it to turn into a wonderful soup.... and it's so cheap to make, very nourishing, and freezes well. Take care, Best Wishes Daphne

      Delete
  4. That looks delicious & oh so comforting, especially on a cold day!

    Thank you for your kind comments about my chair reupholstery. I'm glad that I inspired you! The fabric is by Waverly and the pattern is called, Pen Pal. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hello Gina, Thank you for letting me know the name of the fabric, that was very kind. I shall be investigating to see if I can buy the fabric over here in England. I'll let you know if I succeed. Best Wishes Daphne

    ReplyDelete
  6. Chicken soup! Perfect to make for Fall.
    Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. Your pictures are beautiful, and make me hungry :)

    We are beginning to get chilly weather here, and I too think soups and chowders are perfect for chilly weather.

    Hope you enjoy this weekend.

    *smile
    K.

    ReplyDelete
  7. That soup looks delicious
    I can almost taste it from here.

    Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    ~Fiona

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Fiona, your more than welcome, it's a really good standby meal and as I mentioned in my blog, you can add dumplings, or spinach to ring the changes. I love cooking, but sometimes I just want something quick and this is perfect. When I make the soup I freeze half and so it's ready when needed. I just have to remember to defrost the soup! Best Wishes Daphne

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  8. MMMMMMM! The best thing about Fall is soup. That looks delicious although I've never added lentils to my chicken soup. I'm going to try it next time I make a pot. Thanks for the great idea.

    Cassandra from 'Renaissance Women'

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Cassandra, Soup is so versatile and so easy to make. The lentils add a nice dimension to the soup and of course are very healthy. Let me know what you think. Best Wishes Daphne

      Delete
  9. Hi Daphne, I've just found you while I was browsing at My little home & garden. I like the sound of your variation for chicken soup.We still have lovely weather here in France where I live, so I'm making the most of still been able to eat tasty salads out side, But will give it a try when we start to get that chill in the air.I'll stop by & read some of your other posts, when I get some more time. We have guests in our gites visiting, so I'm a bit busy & I haven't posted anything for some time it was nice to read a post written by an English lady. have a peep at mine I'm new to blogging to.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Barbara, How great a new blogger like me! I haven't found any as yet, but now we can form a Club of 2! I've found every blog I read, the writer, seems so wonderfully experienced, but as my husband keeps telling me "be patient" you will learn and he's right of course, because I have come on leaps and bounds since I first started. Thank you for visiting my blog. I am a little envious of your lovely warm weather as I live in the North of England which is certainly turning colder. I shall pop over to visit you at your blog. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday. Best Wishes Daphne

      Delete
  10. Hi :)

    I saw another blogger recommend your site during my work week...busy, so I just marked it to favorites to visit when I had the time

    Now that I did your soup made me hungry :)

    I 'll be back to visit again! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Debra, thank you for taking the time to visit my blog when you are so busy, I really appreciate it. Do try the soup, if you freeze half you will have an extra supper during your working week that you will only need to warm in a pan. Best Wishes Daphne

      Delete
  11. Good Morning Kerin, Yes I agree, Chicken soup is perfect for when the weather turns colder and so easy to make. Interestingly I have never made chowder before. I shall have to find a recipe and give it a go. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday. Best Wishes Daphne

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Daphne, I just love chicken soup specially on those chilly days.
    I´m taking note of this one, I definitely will make it after the summer´s over.
    Thank you so much for joined us today.

    Have a great day!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. muy detallada la receta y facil de hacer gracias por compartir.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Yummi, sound great!

    Dont forget to insert the code for #ViernesdeRecetasEconomicas #VRE

    Thank you for your participation

    http://www.ahorrosparatodas.com

    ReplyDelete

Dear Friends,

It is so wonderful to know you enjoy reading Ivy, Phyllis and Me! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a comment. I really do appreciate it.

Best wishes to you.

Daphne

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