Chicken Noodle Soup

I am a child of the TV age. I can't deny it.

Flipping the channels I saw some host making chicken noodle soup -- not at all in the way I usually make it -- and nearly immediately ran upstairs to give it a try. We had a rare rainy day here in LA that just called out for soup.

First I sautéed big chunks of carrots, celery, rutabagas (not called for on TV but I had just pulled these from our garden and had already forgotten them in one dish so I didn't want to chance them going to waste) and a diced onion in butter and olive oil. After those vegetables were soft I tossed in a few cloves of chopped garlic, stirred them around and doused the mixture with a few tablespoons of flour, stirring to make a paste. I poured in about 8 cups of chicken broth, a dash of tabasco, a dash of worcestershire, and a bay leaf and allowed the soup to bubble slightly for about 15 minutes. Next I stirred in big chunks of boneless chicken breast, egg noodles, a bag of frozen peas, and a large handful of chopped dill and let the pot cook very gently until the chicken was poached and the noodles were soft.

Old fashioned chicken noodle soup -- just what the doctor -- and the weatherman -- ordered.