You could even prep these veggies a day ahead of time, but I wouldn't recommend any longer than that. Also, be sure to dump the water and wash off the starch the next day if you're going that route. I wouldn't recommend substituting any of the vegetables for different ones.
Mom's Lebanese Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 10-11 uncooked chicken legs/w thighs attached
- 5-6 dry whole bay leaves
- 4 dry whole cinnamon sticks
- 7-8 cardamom seeds
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 medium or large red onion sliced
- cold water to cover
- 3 large tablespoons Vegeta seasoning
- 2 6 oz cans tomato paste
- 4 medium sized zucchini sliced (Lebanese zucchini or Mexican grey squash/zucchini)
- 5 lb bag whole California carrots peeled and sliced
- 7 Russet potatoes or Idaho Potatoes, peeled and cubed medium dice
- 1 large bunch Italian flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- Prep the vegetables by washing all your veggies really well. Dry them. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, then do it ago, then slice it upwards all the way. Peel the carrots and cut them the same way you did the zucchini. Peel the potatoes and cube them into a medium-sized dice. As you finish with each vegetable, add the cut pieces into a large bowl of cold water. Then, you an move on to the next piece of vegetable. When you're done, you should have all your sliced and cubed veggies in the large bowl of cold water and set aside.
- Clean the chicken legs/thighs really well and pat them dry. Next, in a very large stockpot, place the chicken in there. Slice the red onion and place it in the pot. Add in the black peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, dried bay leaves and cardamom. Add in enough cold water to fill about ¾ of the pot with water.
- Leave the pot uncovered and cook over high heat for about an hour and fifteen minutes. About halfway through, skim the scum (fat and foam on the surface) and place it in a separate bowl to dump.
- After that hour and fifteen minutes or when the stock is done, wash the veggies through a strainer. Strain all the water and dump all at once into another very large stockpot.
- Use a large strainer and place it above the stockpot with the veggies. Begin to ladle the completed chicken stock through the strainer and pour the stock into the pot of veggies. Set the pot with the chicken pieces to the side, as we'll be pulling a few of the pieces later on.
- In the stockpot with the veggies, stir-in about two or three heaping tablespoons of Vegeta seasoning. Stir-in two cans of tomato paste. Cook over high heat, uncovered, for about 30 minutes and simmer on the lowest setting, uncovered, for another 30 minutes or until the veggies are tender, but not mushy.
- Turn off the heat. Take three or four of the cooked legs and thighs from the stock we cooked earlier. Pull the chicken pieces off the bone into medium slices, similar to what you'd do for a pulled chicken sandwich or for chicken noodle soup. Stir-in the chicken pieces. Wash and cut a large bunch of parsley and stir it into soup all at once. Stir everything to combine.
- Serve hot to warm!