Emergency soup

Let’s face it. It happens.

Life being what it is, sooner or later you’re going to burn the roast, spill the coffee, forget to turn on the oven, use salt instead of sugar in the cake or have to entertain the worst dinner guests in the universe.

Between the time you crawl out from under the rock and the time you’re back up on stage belting out a believable “Oklahoma” again, you’re probably going to need some downtime. And while heading to the bar, eating 10 candy bars in a row or chain smoking two packs of cigarettes might seem appealing at the time, you know darn well such indulgence is only going to make you feel worse later.

Instead, you might try taking the dog for a walk and wearing him out for a change, playing your favorite record 10 times in a row at full volume, or calling your mom, dad, daughter or son and telling them you love them.

You might also go to the freezer, take out the emergency pack of chicken legs you have stashed for just such contingencies and make yourself a pot of chicken soup. If you’re the type who doesn’t have onions, carrots, celery, potatoes and garlic on hand at all times, now would be a good time to start.

Make the soup, share it, eat it, and I guarantee that by the time you finish your second bowl you’ll almost be able to hum again.

Chicken Soup

Ingredients

4 whole chicken legs (thighs and drumsticks)

2 medium onions, quartered

3 medium carrots, peeled, cut in sections

3 stalks of celery, cut in sections

2 medium potatoes peeled and quartered lengthwise

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 tsp. minced hot pepper

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons butter

10 cups water

1/2 oz. fresh or frozen dill (leaves and stalks)

2 tsps. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Method

Wash and skin chicken legs. Remove as much fat as possible. Place legs in a large pot with the water and salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer one hour. Remove chicken and add onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, garlic, dill, pepper and hot pepper. Return to a boil. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, approximately one half-hour. Remove veggies and strain broth.

In a small saucepan melt butter; then stir in flour until smooth. Take off heat and add two cups chicken broth. Stir until smooth and whisk into broth until smooth. Bring soup back to simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. This will give you a soup of fairly thin broth.

Options

• Serve as it is with a little extra grated pepper on top.

• Return chicken to soup either whole, de-boned or chopped.

• Return veggies to soup cut into smaller pieces.

• Add 1/4 cup rice and continue to simmer for one half-hour.

• Add 1/2 cup small pasta, such as orzo or elbows, and continue to simmer 20 minutes.

• Any combination of the above.