Mum's chicken "compost" soup

...of course there's a story behind the name.   It's not really compost...

When our kids were little, we spent a lot of time between Nanna and Grandad's and our own home as my parents helped out with the care of our kids when we were working.

Mum often sent a meal home with the girls in the evening.  One night she sent home a tupperware container of chicken soup.  The container was the exact same, as the one we used for our kitchen compost scraps.

Our youngest daughter therefore was perplexed as to why Nanna was sending her compost back to our house.  And the name stuck.   

I love this soup, which is more like a casserole really.  It's nourishing and warm and delicious and comforting. 

Chicken soup has been dubbed the Jewish penicillin.  There are papers and scientific studies on its merits, ranging from the benefits of the steam one inhales when ingesting it to the salt found in the soup serving as an oral saline wash. Apparently this reduces the swelling in the nose and throat, soothes irritations in these areas, and restores easy breathing.  Goodbye cold & flu tablets, hello chicken soup.

It's literally full to the brim with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants & cysteine which are in the delicious veggies, herbs, garlic, chicken and bone broth.

Pistou is traditionally used as a flavour enhancer in soups.  Pistou has had a long history. The Roman poet Virgil described a sauce made by crushing herbs in a mortar with garlic, salt and olive oil. Over time, the sauce morphed into the heady Gevonese pesto, which then morphed into pistou in Nice.  And then I had a go.  This pistou is rustic and simple and goes beautifully with slow cooked dishes like Osso Bucco and Lamb Shanks.  It's anti-micorbial and immune boosting. 

Click here for the Chicken soup recipe. Enjoy.