Sheila Suhan, of Scottdale, watches a lot of cooking shows. From time to time, she modifies some of the recipes she sees prepared on television and tries them out on her own family. Occasionally she comes up with a real winner.
Her recipe for Chicken Root Soup, a chicken soup with root vegetables that she said was inspired by a cooking show, was a hit not only with her own family, but also with the judges of the Tribune-Review Home Plate Recipe Contest. Suhan won in the melting pot category, which included all-American dishes as well as recipes from groups not covered by previous ethnic cuisine categories.
Students Janet Reese and Fae Jones in the culinary program at Westmoreland County Community College helped serve as testers for the contest. They said the soup was healthy, yet very comforting.
"It's easy to prepare and could be made with beef as well as chicken," they said. "It would be great with crusty bread and wine."
A nurse at Frick Hospital who works twelve-hour shifts, Suhan needs dishes her family can heat up for themselves. She said her husband, Allan, who is a truck driver for a local company based out of Bentleyville, and her youngest son, a high school senior planning to attend the University of Pittsburgh in the fall, both love coming home to Chicken Root Soup.
In fact, Suhan said her family has come to prefer it to the traditional favorite, chicken noodle soup.
Suhan makes the soup often during the wintertime. Two of her three sons are grown and have families of their own, but they live nearby, and when she makes a batch of soup, she sends some over for them and their families, including Suhan's four granddaughters.
"I take the biggest pot I own and make a chicken soup," she said. "Then I throw in whatever vegetables I have around the house ... except turnips. Nobody liked the soup when I put in the turnips."
Suhan added that the sweet potatoes and parsnips seem to have the strongest flavors so that the other vegetables take on a bit of their flavor and no one seems to mind the addition of other vegetables. She said anyone following her recipe can leave out any of the vegetables they don't care for and could add anything else they might like because it is such a flexible recipe.
When asked whether the soup could be frozen, she said: "You know, I never tried it. There's usually nothing left when I make a batch so I've never had the chance to try to freeze it."
Chicken Root Soup
- 1 stewing chicken
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 medium white potatoes
- 2 medium yams
- 2 or 3 medium carrots
- 2 or 3 medium parsnips
- 1 medium rutabaga
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
Place chicken and salt in an 8- to 10-quart pot and cover with cold water. Simmer until fork tender, about 45 to 60 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and allow to cool. If desired, strain chicken broth and return to pot.
Place celery and onion in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Cut remaining vegetables into medium dice, and add to boiling broth. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until vegetables are soft. Remove skin and bones from chicken and cut into large bite-sized pieces. Put chopped chicken and parsley in pot and simmer for 5 minutes.
Canned chicken broth or water can be added if the soup is too thick.
Serve with slices of crusty bread and butter.
Additional Information:
