A Lovely and Warm Chicken Soup on a Cold Winter's Day !

               Brrrrrrr .... Gezas it's so cold these days . Getting out for a walk anywhere , any place ain't so appealing , ... but what gets me going through these cold days is my mom's classic and warm chicken soup !

              I've had numerous of chicken soup recipes , done in so many ways ... but none compare to my mom's oldschool and classic recipe !
             This chicken soup recipe is light , aromatic , and boy it's just divine ... it's a cure for a flue or a bad day ... it just lifts you up and get's you going !
             
              I've also wrote this post for my step sister  who has trouble making a good chicken soup and i thought since she reads my blog just to give her an ideea on how to get things going .
           
      The ingredients you need for this soup are :
                   
                     - 2 carrots
                     - 1 parsnip
                     - 5 celery sticks
                     - 1 onion
                     - 1 potatoe
                     - 1 bunch of fresh parsley
                     - 1 chicken carcass
                     -  salt , pepper

        For the semolina quenells :
                     
                     - 1 egg
                     - a pinch of salt
                     - 2 tablespoons of semolina
       
           
               It's quite easy you start off in a big pot , add the chicken carcass , peel the vegetables wash them and add them to the pot aswell . Cut the parsley ends which are a bit tough and place them in the pot aswell with some leaves aswell ( people usually throw the parsley ends , but they are really usefull in soups due to the fact they are quite aromatic ) . Season with salt and freshly ground pepper !

            Add cold water , and place the soup on the stove and bring it to a boil .
            Once it boils , turn the heat down a bit and let it do it's job for about 40 to 50 minutes .
         

           In the meantime the soup realeases some impurities and you have to get them out with a spoon otherwise your soup won't be clear but cloudy .
            Once it's done pass it through a sieve in another pot !
             Let it simmer and let's make the semolina quenells .
            Seperate 1 egg . Beat the egg white with a bit of salt untill it's fluffy and won't fall if you turn over the bowl . Incorporate the egg yolk gently so you won't break the air from the egg white . Add 2 tablespoons of semolina or more if needed . Consistency of the quenell must not be too hard or too soft . If it is too soft it will crack , split , if it's too hard it will be chewy .
            Using a spoon , form the quenells and put them in the soup . Cover them with a lid for 5 minutes to 8 . Then my mom uses a technique to make them fluffier by adding a bit of cold water over them while they cook .
         
           Serve the soup with  1 quenell , a bit of carrot , freshly chopped parsley leaves and freshly ground black pepper !

     Yummy and it just warm's your day .... I Love It !!! :D

       P.S. I hope this will actually solve my sister's boyfriend's  chicken soup problem in the near future ! :)):D !
      Say NO  to canned and tasteless chicken soup and a big warm YES  to freshly home made chicken soup baby .

   So guys i'll be seeing you all on my next post .. got a little dessert for you guys and of course it's a classic !
       

                                   So untill next time ... Bon Appetit ! :D

A cure to the stomach after New Year's Eve !

                      Hey my dear blogg readers , i missed you guys these days  !
   
          Christmas has passed and New Year's Eve aswell , and boy oh boy these days were quite emotional !
        To laughing and happy days , to sorrow days to everything ... drama , drama , drama a win win Christmas party but a total FaiL  on New Year's Eve ... but not due to the cooking , but to the fact that i didn't have the opportunity to cook !
       
            So of course the epic meal on New Year's Eve day ( which it was yesterday ) it was ... tam tam tam.... SalaMi ! Yupp... real treat ( i know i shouldn't complain some don't have even salami to eat ... some have more though ) anyway back on track is that i dissapointed myself !
           And not because of the SalaMi .... which really sucked and a horrible culinary experience ... but more because of the fact that i drank a little more than the usual and it got to my head ( not a thing to be proud of ) , and i kinda really hate myself for this but unfortunately i can't go back in time and change things .



     
            So all in all this was a life's lesson for me and i believe no more cheap Salami for me from now on and defenetly no more vodka or whiskey for me from now on . Anyways besides my drinking experience which went down the drain i had the priveleage to see amazing places and beautifull mountains ... we really do have a gorgeous country full of potential ! And i am really proud to say this !

          So after my lovely breakfast/lunch which was fried eggs with bacon and toasted bread i just remembered of a soup good enough to cure you from a New Year's Eve day gone bad or if you are one of those vodka victims , i suggest you start preparing it Now !
       
           This Soup is so light and it doesen't require many ingredients or time to prepare .
           This is a Caraway Soup with Croutouns and i'm tellin' you brotha' this is the Real Deal for any  adventurous nights ( or days perhaps ) .

  So here are the ingredients :

              - 2 tablespoons of caraway seeds
              - 1,5 L of water
              - 1 onion finely chopped
              - 1 carrot finely chopped
              - 1 celery finely chopped
              - 1 egg yolk
              - 4 tablepoons of sour cream or creme fraiche
              - croutouns
              - finely chopped parsley for serving
              - salt , pper
              - 1 lemon ( optional )
              - 1 and a half tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
        So dear '' war victimes '' , time to prep this cure and get back on our feet again !
        In a medium pot pour 1,5 L of water and 2 tablepoons of caraway seeds and some salt ( not too much though) and bring it to the boil and then let it boil gently for 20 to 30 minutes !
        In another medium pot saute the carrot , onion and celery in 1 and half tablepoon of extra virgin olive oil  and season them with a bit of salt and pepper . Saute them for 5 minutes .

        After the water with the caraway seeds changed its colour into a darker one transfer the water using a sieve into the pot with the vegetables ( keep a bit of the caraway seeds if you like ) and let them gently boil toghter for 10 minutes or untill they kinda bind in aroma . Season with a bit of salt and pepper if needed !

          When the soup is ready and it binded it's aromas   seperately mix well 1 egg yolk with 4 tablespoons of sour cream or creme fraiche  and keep adding a bit of the soup to the mixture so you temper it before adding it all to the soup and that stops the egg yolks from curdling or the cream to split .
       
         Serve with some home made croutouns and freshly chopped parsley ... and if you like and feel adventurous add a bit of lemon juice to it ( just a few drops ) , this ideea was the farm boy's ideea ( Alex ) , which is really into lemons !! And truthfully it tastes really good with a hint of lemon !

       So guys get on cookin and get on your feet again ( sincere apologies to my friends , who i believe they are pretty mad at me  for the New Year's Eve mess ) !
       Oh well i can continue to hate myself later after i will cleanse my body and my soul with this lovely caraway soup !                              

 See ya guys on my next post and as the french proudly say Bon Apettit si Pofta mare la Romani ! Hai Servus !