#19 My Grandma’s Chicken Soup

This is a good, old fashioned, Bulgarian soup. When I was little, my grandma used to cook it all the time. She has never used the thighs or the legs to make a soup - it is considered almost sacrilege :) Instead, she would put only the small parts of the chicken and, as it happens (because they are on the bone) – they make the best stock. It’s worth checking with your butcher, but if you cannot find a whole chicken use the best free-range, ethically grown chicken wings that your money can buy.

This soup is simple but just as a chicken soup should be – warming and nourishing, soothing all the aches of our busy modern life.



To make 4 servings you will need:
1 whole chicken – keep the big pieces for another dish and use only the wings (cut into two parts), feet, neck and backbone
2 l water
1 onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
A handful of vermicelli
Salt
1 egg yolk
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Technique:
Put the chicken with the water in a big pan and bring to the boil. Boil for a few minutes and skim.
Lower the heat, add the salt and cook for 15 minutes.
Add the chopped onion and carrot and continue cooking for another 20 minutes.
Add the vermicelli, cook for 5 minutes and take the soup off the heat.
Check the seasoning and set aside to cool.
In a small bowl beat the egg yolk lightly and add the lemon juice. Add this to the soup.
Reheat gently and sprinkle the parsley over it.
Serve each person a piece of meat (as it is - on the bone) and top up with soup.