A different kind of chicken noodle soup

It has been cold lately. I suppose the fact that it is the beginning of December has something to do with that! I cooked and ate, along with the P-Man of course, a very expensive and tasty organic chicken. I froze the carcass for a rainy day, but a really COLD day made me un-thaw it, and make some chicken soup. I had seen Chef Michael Smyth make a chicken soup flavoured with fresh ginger, soy sauce, and green onions on the Food Network. I also remember reading about Nigel Slater being obsessed with a Southeast Asian restorative broth that he added a whole assortment of vegetables/noodles/and protein to. I decided that the idea of a nice cleansing soup, as opposed to the kind of soup I normally make, would be a nice change of pace. I was pleased that the expensive chicken made a lovely clear flavourful broth. I boiled it with low sodium soy sauce, a handful of 2 inch long pieces of green onion, and a 2 inch piece of ginger, sliced but not peeled. I threw in a few peppercorns, and let it simmer.

After about an hour I strained it, and added a whole head of fennel sliced thinly, and a handful of shitake mushroom, also sliced thinly. In a separate pot, I boiled up some soba noodles. After about 30 minutes, the fennel was tender, and the soup smelled great. I placed some of the noodles in the bottom and topped them off with some of the broth, and a sprinkling of fresh cilantro and sliced green onion. It was fragrant, and a bit spicy...a truly subtle flavour.

That first bowl was not what I expected. I am used to soups with lots of ingredients, with lots of different seasonings. This soup was soft and silky, and quietly flavoured. I have had several bowls since then, and I must say, I am really starting to appreciate the clear flavourful broth...and have taken to eating it with a large spoon AND a fork...to make sure I can slurp up the noodles!