Guardian Angel Curtis Sliwa’s 76-year-old Aunt Mary still makes this chicken soup in her Howard Beach home and takes it to revive ailing Angels on the New York City subways. Strained, it makes an excellent medium for a myriad of soups. The strained broth can be frozen in small containers for future soups or in ice-cube trays to use in sauces.
Ingredients
- 1 4- to 5-pound chicken, quartered
- 2 chicken feet or 4 chicken wings or 1 turkey wing
- 1 clove of garlic, bruised
- 1 medium onion, peeled
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 stalks celery cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ bunch parsley, tied
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 4 quarts cold water
- Nutritional Information
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
396 calories; 27 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 33 grams protein; 135 milligrams cholesterol; 439 milligrams sodium
Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
Three quarts
Preparation
- In a large pot, place four quarts cold water. Add the chicken, garlic, onion, carrots, celery, parsley, bay leaf, salt and peppercorns and slowly bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for three hours, using a spoon to skim the soup as thoroughly as possible. Cool. (The soup can be strained at this point, to use in the recipes that follow. Mrs. Stacey proceeds with the next two steps)
- Strain the soup. Discard the onion, parsley, bay leaf and peppercorn, and save the other vegetables. Skin and debone the chicken and save the meat. Return the chicken meat, carrots, celery and garlic clove to the pot and bring back to a simmer, seasoning with additional salt or pepper to taste.
- Serve the soup in big bowls, over pastina, rice or very thin spaghettini. The soup’s curative powers are released only when the vegetables are mashed together in the bowl. Use a fork for mashing. Use a big spoon for eating.
3 hours 45 minutes
Dining and Cooking