Recipe(tried): Chicken Broth for soup

Chicken Broth for soup.

Some fat should be retained for the sake of flavor. Good quality large chicken, free range, or corn fed if you can't get a fowl for good flavor.

1 large fowl with feet (feet makes good stock)
2 1/2 to 3 quarts cold water
1 tablespoon salt
1 small onion, sliced and browned
1 small carrot, sliced
2-inch piece celery, if desired
2 springs parsley
Salt

Wash the chicken thoroughly and cut it at the joints. Scald the feet and let them stand for a few minutes in the boiling water to loosen the skin. Remove the skin and nails. The chicken feet will enhance the flavor of the broth. Cover the meat with the cold water and add the salt. Bring slowly to a boil and skim. Cover and simmer for about 2 hours or until the meat is almost tender.

Add the vegetables and continue simmering until the meat is very tender. Season to taste with salt. Remove the excess fat. Take the meat out and strain the broth through 2 thicknesses of cheesecloth placed over a fine sieve. Return the meat to the broth and let it stand until ready to serve. Serve the broth with one of the following accompaniments; cooked egg noodles, steamed rice, or pieces of the chicken meat.
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HOT AND SOUR SOUP

4 dried black Chinese mushrooms
1/8 lb. lean pork
2 tbsp. cornstarch
4 tbsp. water
3 tbsp. white vinegar
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
6 cups chicken consomme
1/4 cup bamboo shoots, cut into strips
8 raw shrimp
1 green onion, minced
6 snow peas, whole or halved
1 tsp. Tabasco
2 eggs, lightly beaten

In a small bowl, cover the mushrooms with boiling water. Let stand for 30 minutes. Drain the mushrooms and squeeze out excess liquid. Discard the stems; cut the caps into thin strips.

Cut the pork across the grain in quarter-inch-thick slices, then cut the slices into quarter-inch strips.

In a cup, combine the cornstarch and water and blend well. In another cup, combine the vinegar, soy sauce, salt, and pepper.

In a soup kettle, bring the chicken consomme to a boil. Add pork, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms. Bring to a boil again, then reduce heat to medium and add the shrimp.

Stir the vinegar-soy-sauce mixture and add to the soup. Stir the cornstarch mixture and stir it into the soup. Continue stirring until the soup thickens, about 2 minutes. Add the green onion, snow peas, and Tabasco.

Stirring constantly, pour beaten eggs into the soup in a thin stream. Serve at once. Serves 4.