grouts, Hippocrates, curative chicken soup + the good stuff

It takes a lot to get me to the GP, but when my seal-like cough lured a pod of Orcas so close, that they beached themselves in the Sandy Straits, I found the required motivation.

When I fronted to the GP on Saturday morning, he asked me if I had to work on Monday and when I told him I was a Stay at Home Mum, he said “God, you have to work today!”  If it weren't for all the germs, I would have kissed him!  He offered me acupuncture and a ventolin inhaler.  Lemme tell you – that acupuncture is the goods.  By Saturday arvo, I was well enough to make the chicken soup I was craving.  I hunted for a time-worn recipe, but I couldn't face fowl broth.

Fowl Broth from Maleny’s Souvenir Recipes from Pioneer Days.

Take a prepared fowl and either cut it up or cover it whole with sufficient water (for the size of the family), 1 onion, a little barley, rice or sago.  When the fowl is tender (which will depend on the age – about ¾ hour for a young one) remove it from the broth, which should be thickened with a  little groats, patent barley or cornflour, salt and pepper, mixed with either milk or water and let come to boil; serve hot.  If the fowl be whole it may be stuffed and browned in the oven.

I can't say exactly which part dissuaded me.  I think ‘groats’ reminded me of the sounds I was making at the end of my sea lion impersonations.  I decided to make my own.

Cooker & a Looker’s Curative Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken drumsticks
3 carrots
1 parsnip
500g pumpkin (I used jarradale – it has a great colour and it holds its form well)
2 leeks
3 cloves garlic
2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
6 cups water
4 stems parsley
1 sprig rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon lemon zest
salt and pepper

Method:

Heat some olive oil in a heavy based pot and brown the chicken legs.  Remove the chicken and set aside.  Finely chop the pumpkin, leeks, carrot and parsnip.  Sauté the veggies over a medium heat, adding more olive oil if necessary.  Add the garlic and ginger.  Return the chicken legs to the pan, top with enough water to cover the chicken – about six cups.  Finely chop the parsley stems, saving the leaves for later.  Add the parsley stems, rosemary, bay leaf and lemon zest to the pot.  Season the soup with salt and pepper and simmer covered for 45 minutes.

Remove the chicken legs from the soup and allow to cool slightly before removing the meat from the drumsticks.  Chop the meat, cover and keep warm.  Return the drumstick bones to the soup and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes.

Remove the bones, rosemary and bay leaf.  Return the chicken meat to the soup and heat through, adjust the seasoning to taste.  Finally, stir through the finely chopped parsley leaves.  Serve hot (with fresh white bread if being sick weakens your resolve against processed carbs!)  If you have a hankering for chicken noodle soup, add noodles or spaghettini for the last half hour.

There's method in my madness - the benefits of bone broth have been well documented over the years; the ingredients of this soup are packed with vitamins and minerals and easily digested.  You can feel it doing you good.  Mum has always said that your body tells you what it needs when you're sick, and you know because it's what you feel like eating.  She's no Hippocrates, but I'm sure she's on the money.

The acupuncture/chicken soup combo worked magically.  By Sunday morning I was well enough to stand on a chair in my jammies and photograph my handiwork.

do you have a secret recipe for curing the sick?

does your GP have a good bedside manner?

do you reckon Hippocrates was onto something?