For ills ranging from a cold to a break-up, my grandmother would make a broth which would make me feel better in no time.
It was a very substantial and nutritious old-fashioned broth: in a very large pot she’d place a whole chicken ( an older female chicken, she would say that a younger one wasn’t suitable for long time boiling), plus a large piece of meat, usually beef brisket, and a fresh big soup-bone with marrow. And lots of veggies: carrots, celery, onion, leeks, a few ripe tomatoes, and parsley and salt and black pepper grains.
The pot would simmer for hours, and finally some of the amber liquid would be strained and served hot in a large bowl.
I can think of all the reasons the broth would make me feel better when down with a cold or flu, but I’m not sure I know how it made me forget his name after a break-up
I always fall back to a potato and onion soup when I’m sick. Both potatoes and onions are nutrient dense and provide good flavor and texture to any soup base, especially when I don’t feel like eating due to illness.
Added benefit - If I’m sick at home, no one can smell my terrible onion breath
She didn’t waste any food, the beef meat and chicken would be served with a side of veggies and she would make a mild sauce with a little garlic, finely chopped parsley and olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon juice, as a dressing.
The broth veggies would have been served in the soup, often with some small pasta, or rice, in it too.
I only liked the clear broth, because those veggies were too soft for me.
But then I was the odd one out, (didn’t like snails! )
Here you go! Recipe is rough, my mother taught me to cook by taste and not by measurements (the basis for most Indonesian food) so the ingredients are more of a rough guide.
Potato and Onion Soup
Ingredients:
50g butter
4 potatoes
1 onion
800ml - 1L of chicken/veg stock.
100ml of milk/dairy alternative
1tsp miso paste
Salt and pepper.
Preferred herbs (I like to add a pinch of thyme and parsley)
(I can’t stomach dairy, you can easily sub any dairy for a plant based alternative)
Instructions:
Melt butter in pan.
Peel potatoes and dice them along with the onions.
Add diced ingredients into pan and toss with butter and season with salt and pepper
Cover with a lid and let them sweat out for about 10-15 minutes on low.
Add your stock and herbs, and bring to a boil.
Boil veg in stock for around 5-10 minutes, or until soft.
Let it cool, off the heat, for 5-10 minutes.
Add milk/alternative and miso paste and stir gently until incorperated.
You can blend it to get a smooth consistency or leave it as is for some nice texture.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish as you like.
Perfect with a thick slice of sourdough! Tastes great both hot and cold! A smoother consistency is nice if you prefer cold.
Sounds like a soup my mum and grandma used to make, but being of It background they would use olive oil and some tomatoes, either fresh or tomato paste.
They also would go by ‘A handful of this, and a pinch of that’ and by tasting especially for salt and cooking time. And for the amount of liquid to use they had various sizes pots depending on the number of people they’d be cooking for.
I cook by taste too, for that reason I find it difficult to give out recipes.
I admire @vax2000 for his ability to give us precise and detailed recipes!
Living in the Potato and Onion Isle (Tassie) where such produce is readily available, fresh and cheap…it will be a recipe to try over the coming winter months.
Chicken soup or anything made with real chicken broth (there is research that confirms it helps with colds and flu) and loads of veggies.
For a sore throat I brew up a “tea” with garlic (2-3 knobs) and a big hunk of ginger roughly chopped, simmered for 30-60 minutes. Even the smell drives bugs away! Add lemon juice and honey to serve.
I have to avoid dairy when I’m sick. I can get away with a small amount when I’m well, but it gives me inflammation and a recurrent cough–I think it makes my immune system work harder–so best to avoid when I’m already under the weather. I love cheese, so this is a struggle. Gluten does it to me as well, but I don’t miss it as much.
)