Soup for the sick... and the soul

cream of chicken soup

I agree with the mantra "you are what you eat" and the notion attributed to Hippocrates of "let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food" (whether he happened to say it or not). It's a philosophy adopted by my mother, and one I have tried to emulate when feeding my own family: serving good food leads to good health. Well. It certainly can't hurt!

Having a family member who is recovering from surgery, made me think of serving chicken soup. Jewish grandmothers foisting homemade chicken soup upon sickly family members is a common stereotype - and for good reason. Known as Jewish Penicillin, the benefits of feeding chicken soup to treat respiratory illness are not only anecdotal but have been medically and scientifically proven. The effectiveness of chicken soup as a restorative has seen it enter the lexicon, as a "shorthand for a cure-all, a mysterious-but-effective way to solve problems". Indeed, soup-as-medicine is common amongst many cultures. 

A science experiment was conducted by primary school children in conjunction with Imperial College London. The study sought to identify the anti-malarial effects of homemade broths. The study succeeded in finding broths that actually did inhibit the growth of the malaria parasite. As a bonus, the children were listed as authors of the scientific paper. 😁

we demolished this roast chicken before making soup stock

My chicken soup started as a broth created from our leftovers from a roast chicken. I boiled the bones with carrot, onion, celery, parsley, black peppercorns and bay leaves. Using the strained broth, I made two soups. 

making stock

congee

The first soup was a congee. I had my first taste of congee in China, where it was served as a breakfast food. Considered as a comfort food throughout Asia, congee is known by many different names and is served with a variety of flavorings. It is commonly served to the elderly, infirm, babies, and the ill. I made mine by simmering sushi rice in the chicken broth for at least 90 minutes, with a few thick slices of green ginger and some finely chopped onion. I needed to keep adding water to keep the congee from drying out. It is a bland dish that benefits from additional flavoring. We experimented with soy sauce and then with some toasted sesame oil. Luc liked it with a splash of mirin and grated fresh ginger. Sliced green onions would be a good addition - or Kimchi for more robust tummies. 

mirepoix

The second soup was a cream of chicken. I fried a mirepoix (diced onion, carrots and celery) in a small amount of olive oil, then added the broth with leftover chicken meat and any meat I was able to scavenge from the carcass. I blended this all together. The texture was a little 'gritty' but benefitted with the addition of some cream. This was good for our recovering patient who needed a restorative but liquid diet. I'd be inclined to serve the soup as a strained clear broth (not blended and omit the cream) for wobbly tummies or for anyone with respiratory problems. 

I loved the story I heard of recent medical school graduates taking hands-on nutrition training. The aim is for physicians to provide valuable advice to their patients suffering from chronic conditions (e.g. diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol) and prescribe food changes instead of medicine as the first line of defense.