Chicken soup

 

Chicken soup

                                        Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

I roasted a chicken last night. This was excellent news for the dogs and cats, and their noses were atwitch all the while it was cooking.

We enjoyed the chicken with a variety of vegetables and small roast potatoes.

Tonight, slices of meat will be carved and cut to cook with pasta in a tasty sauce. Tomorrow, more chicken will join lettuce, cucumber, blueberries, avocado, strawberries, olives, watercress, rocket, and spinach in a satisfying salad. The following day, chicken and salad sandwiches will be on the menu.

Finally, the carcase and any remaining meat will be transformed by the pressure cooker into a delicious broth. After several hours, the bones will be soft and easy to crush.

Once it is cool, the bones will be mashed into a thick soup, but this is not for human consumption. I don’t like chicken soup – it repeats on me, which is most unpleasant. (Apparently this is called ‘rumination syndrome’ – mine is mild!) The soup is principally for the dogs, with a little for the cats. It is a treat we make for them two or three times a month, as a change from their usual fare.

They are very happy dogs when they realise they are having a special treat. We give it to them for their breakfast as there is still a great deal of liquid in the soup. The dogs need the hours during the day to deal with the consequential expansion of their guts and the possibility of having to go outside more frequently than usual.