OLD-FASHIONED CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Feeling a little under the weather? Mama Joe always said that Chicken Soup was good for whatever ails you. I tend to agree. Just the simple act of breathing in the hot vapor of a cup of chicken soup can help clear up congestion. Scientists render words such as anti-inflammatory, chemically resembling, therapeutic...you name it, they have a word for it. Whatever the case, I'll take a cup of this satisfying comfort, whatever the weather.

16 cups chicken broth
1 (3 to 4 lb.) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
2 carrots, peeled, thinly sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
8oz. wide egg noodles
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

Combine chicken broth and chicken in large heavy pot.Bring to boil, reduce heat; cover partially and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes. Using tongs, transfer chicken to large bowl. Cool chicken and broth slightly. Discard skin and bones. Chop meat into bite-size pieces. Spoon fat off top of broth. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead to this point. Refrigerate meat and broth separately. Skim fat from broth when ready to finish soup.)
Return broth to simmer. Add onion, carrots and celery. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until vegetables are softened.
Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and saute just until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and add to broth. Stir in noodles, parsley, and chicken. Simmer just until noodles are tender, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serves: 12

On a cold winter day this soup practically turns into a meal by itself.

"Do you have a kinder, more adaptable friend in the food world than soup? Who soothes you when you are ill? Who refuses to leave you when you are impoverished and stretches its resources to give you a hearty sustenance and cheer? Who warms you in the winter and cools you in the summer? Yet who is also capable of doing honor to your richest table and impressing your most demanding guests?...Soup does its loyal best, no matter what dignified conditions are imposed upon it. But soup knows the difference. Soup is sensitive. You don't catch steak hanging around when you're poor and sick, do you?"~Judith Martin