DELISH MAGAZINE JANUARY 2020
Cock-a-leekie soup made by Michael Calleri, a traditional soup from Scotland that includes chicken stock, leeks, rice, and prunes.
of course, the alphabet, with which we
tried to spell words. It never really mat-
tered which macaroni shape it was.
My mother’s cooking influenced me,
and I’m not being vain when I write that
I’m a good cook. I often make chicken
soup. My three sisters, all very good
cooks, each make a chicken soup that is
uniquely their own. The culinary differ-
ences of the same dish, especially when
prepared by members of one family, is
truly one of the pleasures of cooking at
home.
There are two kinds of soup that
I make from scratch. The classic style
similar to what my mom made, and a dif-
ferent one that is loaded with vegetables.
The loaded recipe is included with this
article.
For my classic-style soup, I’m a be-
liever in simmering the chicken for an
hour and 15-minutes (timed after it has
begun to boil – with the heat then low-
ered). A couple of bay leaves and some
Sicilian sea salt are added. I might use
a large cut up chicken, which offers legs
(thighs and drumsticks), split breasts,
8
and wings. Sometimes, I mix it up.
Nothing but bone-in breasts. All whole
legs. All thighs. All drumsticks. Perhaps
nothing but three dozen large wings.
Regardless of what parts of the chick-
en I use, I then strain the broth into a
very large bowl and set the chicken aside.
To the strained broth, which is put back
in the pot, I add the celebrated chopped
trio: onion, carrots, and celery and
simmer for two hours. I taste for salt. I
always stir in some fresh flat leaf parsley
about 15-minutes before serving. I’ve
taken the chicken meat off the bone and
usually add it to the soup pot with the
parsley. I make sure the broth returns to
a slow boil. Some home cooks serve the
chicken separately. Once, I used fresh dill
instead of parsley, as in the classic deli
chicken soup. The resulting broth was
good.
I’ve also found that six boneless,
skinless breast halves (from three whole
breasts) do create a very good stock.
My sister Michele Cosmann, the
oldest of the three girls, makes a soup
that is loaded with the basic vegetables.
I am always surprised to be told she uses
two pounds of carrots, one entire bunch
of celery (usually ten ribs or more), and
at least a trio of medium-to-large onions.
All are cut up. Bay leaves, salt, and pepper
are part of the equation. Depending on
what she’s bought, she’ll use a variety of
chicken parts. Straining the broth is part
of her process. The resulting bowls offer a
heaping helping of vegetables with added
macaroni.
What’s unique about Michele’s soup
is not only that she adds poultry season-
ing (the McCormick brand, to be precise),
but it’s intensely peppery. She likes
spicy flavors, and she uses a lot of black
pepper. You taste it immediately. She’s
really going against the grain of how we
ate as children. Perhaps it’s because she’s
a Leap Day baby, I don’t know.
My sister Jeanmarie’ Calleri’s soup
is most like my mother’s. The basics are
there: a bay leaf, a large onion, some
chopped celery and carrots. She also
adds a tomato, and surprisingly, a garlic
clove. One, not two. Jeanmarie, who is
the middle girl, follows the long-simmer-