Max & Sophia's favorite "Football Soup"

     Big Papa and Chee Chee (my paternal grandparents)  got me hooked on this soup as a kid, a simple chicken  and pastina soup. Now Max and Sophia love it too (as does everyone else in the family) and they have added their own little twist, orzo pasta (shaped like footballs) instead of pastina's, and they like to call it Football Soup!  Very simple to make, and only a few ingredients:  1 whole chicken, chicken stock, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pepper plus the orzo pasta and fresh parley and parmiggiano reggiano for topping

     Start by placing the whole chicken in a large pot and cover it with cold water. If your chicken has the neck and innards add them as well.  When I was younger, believe or not, we used to fight over who got to eat the chicken heart with their soup, it was a true delicacy.  Now a days you rarely see it in the chicken.  Someone told me they sell them in bulk in Chinatown at a very high price. Now add a few flavoring items, basically you are making a stock as you cook the chicken for the soup.  I add the odds and ends left over from cutting the vegetables for the soup.  The celery stems and leaves (great flavor from the leaves), the ends of the carrots (plus a few cut in large pieces), an onion quartered, whole garlic cloves, a few peppercorns, a bay leaf, some of the fresh parsley with stems and some salt.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, let cook for about an hour to hour and half, until the chicken is cooked, it will start to fall apart when done.

     While the chicken and stock are cooking cut your veggies.  I like to keep it rustic and not worry so much about everything being the same size. I usually use 1 onion diced, about 5-6 carrot and celery sticks cut up, and about 5 cloves of garlic minced.  Chunky pieces will stay a little firmer while smaller pieces will melt in your mouth and the soup.  If you like a lot of vegetables, add more, if not add less, totally up to your taste.

Start by sauteing the onions and garlic in your largest soup pot in some good olive oil.  After a few minutes add the celery, carrots, bay leaf, salt and pepper.  Cook for about 10 minutes until they just start to soften and release juices and add a carton of quality chicken stock.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

 When your chicken/stock is finished cooking in the other pot (hour and half maybe)  remove it to a plate and let sit until cool enough to handle. The meat should fall right off the bone when the chicken is cooked and your should have a wonderful broth. Remove all the meat from the skin and bones and place it in a bowl, be careful of the smaller bones, sometimes they can slip by you and end of in the soup!   Break chicken into bite size pieces, as big as you like.  The gizzards, liver and neck meat make a great treat for your dog or cat if you have one. With a slotted spoon, remove any of the large veggies left in the stock keeping as much of the liquid as possible.  Pour the liquid in the pot you cooked the chicken in through a strainer to remove any of the smaller pieces that are left in the stock (peppercorns, garlic, bone, etc.) and into the large soup pot with the vegetables and stock.  If you want more soup you can add another container of store bought broth.  Bring back to simmer and add the meat from the chicken.   Sometimes I leave the meat out of the soup and let everyone add their own meat when they make their bowl of soup, this works good when some people don't like white or dark or not meat at all.  I remember my dad would save the chicken butt and put it in one of the kids soup bowls,  that joke never got old.   Taste for salt and pepper adding if necessary.  If your broth is too bland you may want to add a few bouillon cubes, I usually add at least 2-4.  Let cook until the veggies are soft.

Make the orzo pasta, add some to large soup bowl and ladle soup over the top.  I like to add fresh parsley and of course some fresh grated parmiggiano reggiano on top!  Enjoy!  It truly feeds the body and the soul.  Whenever that flu bug makes it's way through the house, I make a big batch of this soup and it makes everyone feel better, liquid penicillin!

The gang enjoying their favorite soup!!