The Rolling Dinner - Part 1 - Italian Chicken Noodle Soup

It is becoming a trend for cooking show hosts to cover making dinner for a week all at once. I've been doing a varied version of this in my own kitchen for a few years now. I call it "the rolling dinner".

I'd like to share with you my technique and recipes for my favorite rolling dinner in three parts. Each night of the process I use part of the previous dinner to make the next.

I start by making a mild, tomato based "Italian chicken noodle soup" of sorts. I've adapted this recipe from one that my mother has made for as long as I can remember. I've thickened it up quite a bit and added pepper. It is the simplest soup you'll ever make and a great beginners recipe.

Italian Chicken Noodle Soup
Total cook time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Active cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
4-5 lbs tomatoes
1 whole celery head
Water
Salt
Pasta

Tools:

• The largest soup pot you have. If you don't have a large soup pot, you can make the soup by reducing the tomatoes, celery and only using 2 split chicken breasts.
• Another large pot
• Large bowl
• Kitchen tongs
• 2 Large Slotted Spoons
• Large colander
• Blender or immersion blender
• Several freezer safe containers for storage of leftover stock.

Method:
Remove giblets from chicken cavity and rinse chicken inside and out.
Place chicken in soup pot
Cut top and bottom off of celery head and discard.

Cut celery head into 1 - 1 1/2 inch chunks. Place in pot with chicken.
Cut tomatoes into quarters and add to pot.

The tomatoes should completely cover the chicken. The more tomatoes, the thicker your soup.

Cover the chicken, celery and tomatoes with water. Do not use more water than you need to just cover the ingredients. Too much water will make your soup thin and watery.

Add 1 Tbs salt to the soup.

Bring soup to a boil, turn down heat and continue to simmer until the chicken leg bone will pull off with a gentle tug. (Use kitchen tongs to pull on the chicken leg.) This usually takes a little over an hour but can vary somewhat wildly depending on the size of chicken you use. Any size chicken will do just fine though.

Remove the chicken with slotted spoons. This is easier said than done as the chicken is fall apart tender. Just do the best you can and know that getting it out in pieces is just fine too. Place in a large bowl. Set aside.

Using the slotted spoon sieve out the chunks of tomato and celery into your blender bowl or another large pot if using an immersion blender. Blend cooked tomatoes and celery until smooth.

Place colander into the second large pot with the tomato and celery puree. Carefully pour the soup stock into the second pot. Remove the colander and scrape any remaining chunks of tomato and celery into your blender bowl, blend until smooth and add to stock. Your stock should be somewhat thick and you will have significantly more than you can eat at one time.

Place only what you want to eat tonight back into your original soup pot. Put the rest of the soup into containers and freeze for another time.

Bring the stock for tonight to a boil and add whatever pasta you'd like for noodles. Cook until noodles are tender. The stock will thicken as the pasta cooks.
Tip: I only stock a few types of pasta in my cabinet. For this soup I take wheat spaghetti noodles and break them up into 1 inch pieces by grasping a bunch (about a quarter size in diameter) and twisting to break them off, starting at the top and working my way down.

Meanwhile, remove the chicken meat from the carcass. Add just what you want to your broth for tonight and set the rest aside. Cover the meat in the bowl, and refrigerate. You will use some of the left over tomorrow and the rest for the third dinner.

Salt and pepper the soup to taste.

Note to readers: This recipe is an old (adapted) family recipe. I am used to making it by feel, look and taste rather than exacting measurements. It is nearly impossible to go wrong. However, if you have notes or suggestions on how to make this recipe more user friendly, please comment. I will be sure to read and respond. Thanks for giving this a whirl!