Warm soup for that nasty cold

Grandmothers around the world tout their chicken soup as being good for what ails you. Chicken soup has been hailed as a cure for the common cold and an antihistamine (and even nicknamed “Jewish penicillin” – a nod to moms who have served it up to their sick kids.) Grandma may be on to something - the fabled healing properties of old-fashioned chicken soup has garnered a growing body of scientific evidence:

• Pulmonary specialist and professor at the UCLA School for Medicine, Irwin Ziment, M.D., has shown an amino acid released from chicken during cooking chemically resembles the drug acetylcysteine, prescribed for bronchitis and other respiratory problems and found in some cold medications.

• Spices such as garlic and pepper - ancient treatments for respiratory diseases - work by thinning mucus and make breathing easier.

• The steam itself may be the real benefit - sipping the hot soup and breathing in the steam helps to temporarily clear congestion.

While there is no conclusive evidence of a cure-all, it does seem probable that chicken soup helps alleviate annoying symptoms. At the very least, chicken soup provides a hot comforting meal and re-hydration. So as Grandma told you - slurp up when you're feeling under the weather.


Chicken soup
Ingredients:

2 cups (500 mL) each sliced carrots and celery
1 cup (250 mL) chopped onions
1 tbsp (15 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) pepper
3 cups (750 mL) broad egg noodles
1/2 cup (125 mL) frozen or canned peas
2 tbsp (25 mL) chopped fresh parsley
Stock:
5 lb (2.2 kg) chicken legs
16 cups (4 L) water
2 each carrots and staIks celery, coarsely chopped
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp (5 mL) each salt and dried thyme
1/2 tsp (2 mL) whole peppercorns

Preparation:
Stock: In stockpot, bring chicken and water to boil; skim off foam. Add carrots, celery, onion, bay leaf, salt, thyme and peppercorns; simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat for 2 hours.

Remove chicken; cover and refrigerate. Strain soup through cheesecloth-lined sieve into large bowl, pressing vegetables to extract liquid. Refrigerate for 12 hours or until fat congeals on surface. Lift off and discard fat.

In large saucepan or Dutch oven, bring stock to simmer. Add carrots, celery, onions, salt and pepper; cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, remove chicken from bones; add to soup. Add noodles; cook for 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in peas and parsley.

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Hot Spicy Soup

2 cups (500 mL) chicken stock
6 slices gingerroot
6 cloves garlic, sliced
6 dried hot red peppers
1 tsp (5 mL) granulated sugar
1 stalk lemongrass
8 oz (250 g) catfish fillets, cut in chunks, or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 can (398 mL) baby corn, drained and halved
1 cup (250 mL) button mushrooms, halved
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Quarter sweet red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped fresh coriander
1/2 tsp (2 mL) grated lime rind
2 tbsp (25 mL) lime juice
Preparation:
In saucepan, bring chicken stock, 2 cups (500 mL) water, ginger, garlic, hot peppers and sugar to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain through fine sieve and return to pot.

Trim dry ends off lemongrass; peel away any tough outer leaves. Cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) lengths; add to pot. (Make-ahead: Let cool for 30 minutes; refrigerate until cold. Transfer to airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.)

Add fish, corn, mushrooms and green onions; bring to simmer and simmer until fish flakes easily when tested, about 3 minutes. Stir in red pepper, coriander and lime rind and juice.

Pan-Browned Brussel Sprouts

1 1/2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved through the core
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt and pepper

Directions:
Pan-Browned Brussel Sprouts
In a large heavy sauté pan, over medium heat, add butter and oil.
When butter is melted, place Brussels sprout halves, flat side down in pan. Cover with lid and cook for approximately 12 minutes, or until bottoms are golden brown. Turn and cook for 3 more minutes.
Add lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and toss thoroughly.

Old Fashioned Apple Dumplings

INGREDIENTS
1 recipe pastry for double-crust pie
6 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups water
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch pan.
On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry into a large rectangle, about 24 by 16 inches. Cut into 6 square pieces. Place an apple on each pastry square with the cored opening facing upward. Cut butter into 8 pieces. Place 1 piece of butter in the opening of each apple; reserve remaining butter for sauce. Divide brown sugar between apples, poking some inside each cored opening and the rest around the base of each apple. Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg over the apples.
With slightly wet fingertips, bring one corner of pastry square up to the top of the apple, then bring the opposite corner to the top and press together. Bring up the two remaining corners, and seal. Slightly pinch the dough at the sides to completely seal in the apple. Repeat with the remaining apples. Place in prepared baking dish.
In a saucepan, combine water, white sugar, vanilla extract and reserved butter. Place over medium heat, and bring to a boil in a large saucepan. Boil for 5 minutes, or until sugar is dissolved. Carefully pour over dumplings.
Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes. Place each apple dumpling in a dessert bowl, and spoon some sauce over the top.

Almond Lemon Chicken

INGREDIENTS
5 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons Dijon-style prepared mustard
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
6 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup sliced almonds
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
6 slices lemon, for garnish

DIRECTIONS
Combine the lemon juice, mustard, garlic and white pepper. Beat in 5 tablespoons of the olive oil. Put the chicken in a shallow container and pour the lemon mixture over it. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
In a large skillet, saute the almonds in 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil until golden. Remove from skillet and reserve. Wipe out the skillet. Drain the chicken, reserving the lemon marinade. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, then add chicken breasts and brown over high heat until breast is brown on each side (6 to 10 minutes). Remove from skillet and reserve.
Strain the lemon marinade into the skillet. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Add chicken broth and cornstarch/water mixture. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reduces by half (about 5 minutes). Add marmalade and stir over medium heat until melted. Stir in the butter a bit at a time over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in parsley and red pepper flakes. Return chicken to skillet and heat through. Add reserved almonds and garnish with lemon slices.