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chicken kosher salt cloves water beef bones canola oil carrots onion freshly-cracked white pepper fresh thyme bay leaves ground veal kosher salt clove garlic Parmesan basil egg bread crumbs eggs spinach Parmesan
Viewed: 50 - Published at: 2 years agoIngredients
- 1 (3 to 4-pound) whole chicken, cleaned and gutted
- Kosher salt
- 2 cloves
- 4 quarts water
- 2 pounds beef bones, preferably from the leg, cut into 1 1/2-inch thick pieces
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
- 1 onion, peeled, halved and sliced 1/2-inch thick
- Freshly cracked white pepper
- 1 small bunch fresh thyme, washed and tied with string
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 1/2 pound ground veal
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan
- Few basil leaves, snipped small with scissors
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs, toasted
- 3 eggs, very lightly beaten
- 3 cups loosely packed spinach leaves, washed
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Method
- This recipe has many personal touches: The combination of beef and chicken in the base of the recipe is something I got from my mother, studding the chicken with a couple of cloves to add a special flavor from making chicken stock at Guy Savoy in Paris and most of all, the meatballs from my parents.
- This soup is a meal unto itself and tastes even better leftover.
- 2 stalks celery with leaves, inner pieces from the bunch peeled of outer skin, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- Soup: Season the chicken with salt, to taste, and push the 2 cloves into 1 of the chicken thighs.
- Add it to a large stock pot, cover with about 4 quarts water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Meanwhile, season the beef bones with salt and brown them in a cast iron pan with the canola oil, searing them over medium heat.
- Add them to the pot with the chicken.
- To the pan that the bones were seared in, over medium heat, add the carrots, celery and onion and toss until they are coated in oil.
- Add the thyme and bay leaves to the stock pot along with the sauteed vegetables.
- Bring the soup to a gentle simmer and skim the surface with a ladle.
- Discard any oil or "scum" that accumulates.
- Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, not too much, and lower the heat to finish cooking the chicken slowly.
- Meatballs: Put the ground veal into a medium bowl.
- Add the salt, garlic, Parmesan, basil, egg and bread crumbs.
- Use your hands to mix to blend the ingredients.
- Roll a small meatball and cook a "tester" ladled into the soup, if desired.
- Taste and reseason the meat mixture, if needed.
- Roll the rest of the veal into small meatballs.
- They should be about the size of a small cherry tomato.
- (Chef's Note: Imperfectly rolled meatballs actually make this soup more homey and real.)
- Arrange the meatballs in a single layer on a baking sheet and refrigerate.
- After about 45 minutes at a gentle simmer, taste the chicken soup and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
- Use a large spoon and a pair of tongs to remove the chicken to a baking sheet or other flat surface and allow it to cool for a few minutes.
- Remove the beef bones and scoop out the marrow.
- Add it to the soup, if desired.
- Remove and discard the fresh thyme and bay leaves.
- Take the breast and thigh meat off the chicken, taking care to discard the bones and skin.
- Break the chicken into bite-size pieces, but not too small, and add them to the soup.
- Bring the soup to a gentle simmer and add the meatballs.
- Allow it to continue simmering for a couple of minutes so the meatballs have a chance to cook.
- Drizzle in the eggs and continue to mix as they cook.
- They should look like little threads in the soup.
- Stir in the spinach and taste for seasoning.
- Transfer the soup to serving bowls and serve sprinkled with the Parmesan.
