Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

INGREDIENTS

• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, chopped (I prefer larger chunks)
• 3-4 carrots, sliced into rounds
• 1 large turnip (or 3-4 baby turnips or other root vegetables)*
• 1 bunch kale or other leafy greens
• 1 8-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 4-6 cups chicken stock**
• 1-2 cups cooked diced chicken
• 1 tablespoons pickling spices***
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 package egg noodles (optional)

PREPARATION

• Peel and chop the garlic and onions. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed stockpot, then sauté the garlic and onions on a medium flame until softened, stirring. Add the stock, carrots, turnips (or mushrooms), and tomatoes.
• Measure the pickling spices into a tea ball, or cut a square of cheesecloth and place the spices into the center, then pull the corners together and tie with string. Immerse the packet of spices in the soup. Cover the pot and bring the soup to a rolling boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer.
• As the soup simmers, wash the kale and trim away the tough ribs and stems. Stack the leaves and chop into long, thin strips; dice any remaining stems. Dice the cooked chicken meat. Add the kale and chicken meat to the soup pot. Continue simmering until vegetables are cooked through but not mushy (be sure to check kale stems for doneness), for about 45 minutes to an hour. When the kale stems are cooked through, remove the soup from the heat. Remove the pickling spice packet.
• Cook the egg noodles separately according to the instructions on the package, then drain and rinse in cool water. To serve, place some noodles in the bottom of each soup bowl and ladle the hot soup over top.

Chef’s notes:

*or substitute 1/4 pound fresh mushrooms, cleaned and halved.
**homemade broth is best. Roast or purchase roast chicken; remove meat; place carcass in stock pot (or crock pot) with 8-10 cups water; simmer for 1-2 hours. If using canned broth, use low-sodium.
*** Pickling spices can be found in most grocery stores, or you can make your own mix. Typically, a pickling spice mix includes some combination of bay leaves, peppercorns, allspice, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, mustard seed, coriander, ginger, and dried chile pepper flakes.