Start the new year with Chicken-Lemon Soup

After a festive holiday, I suppose everyone is thinking of adjusting their diet for the next few weeks. I am starting the new year with a delicious, nutritive Chicken-Lemon Soup.

Surprisingly enough, every nation on the planet has its own version of chicken soup. For instance, Greek chicken soup is called avgolemono and is made with beaten eggs mixed with lemon, which are added to the chicken broth. The recipe is regarded as highly beneficial for flu, colds and even hangovers. In Italy, chicken soups are often served with various kinds of pasta.

There is often a thin line between the properties of a chicken stock or broth. A chicken stock is composed of all parts of the chicken and is cooked for hours over low heat. Often, the resulting stock needs to be diluted because of its extremely intense flavor. Chicken broth can be much milder than the stock and takes less time to prepare.

This particular recipe is intended to be light with intense flavors. Bon appetit.

CHICKEN-LEMON SOUP

1 cup extra-virgin oil, divided use

2 medium-size red onions, peeled and thinly sliced

1⁄2 cup garlic cloves

Kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon curry

1⁄4 cup fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

1 whole chicken with the skin removed and fat trimmed (preferably, organic/free range)

16 cups boiling water

3 medium-size carrots, peeled and diced

3 medium-size potatoes, peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces

6 Meyer lemons, cut in half

1 bunch parsley, chopped

Preparation

Heat 1⁄4 cup olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic. Cook for few minutes until they both get lightly brown. Add the salt, pepper, ground ginger, paprika, curry and fresh ginger, mixing well to form a thick paste.

Add the chicken and brown it on all the sides. Gradually add the water. Cook, covered, for 30 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes and lemons, and cook for another 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken and the lemons from the pan and let the chicken cool. Squeeze the juice from the lemons into the soup. Cut the chicken into pieces or cubes, according to your needs, and return it to the soup. Cook, uncovered, for another 30 minutes. Discard any unwanted fat from the surface. There should be very little fat since the chicken was cooked without the skin.

Sprinkle the remaining olive oil over the soup and serve with garlic crostini.

Salim Ben Mami is head chef and owner of Café Collage restaurant in Oregon House, Calif. Contact him at 530-692-2555 or ccollage@succeed.net. His website is cafecollage.net.