The cure for the common cold. You heard it here first.

Posted by Michael on Nov 26, 2008 in Recipes | 1 comment

Well, I’m sick as a damn dog.   Runny nose, aches, pains, and coughing up one-pound blocks of lung butter.
I’ve got a full blown cold.   I picked it up in Ontario, by the way.  A nice place to visit but I wouldn’t want to inhale there.
Thankfully, I have the cure for the common cold.  Whenever I start to feel that building pressure in my sinuses, I break out the chicken and chilies.   To be honest, I’m not entirely sure what the active ingredients are in both of these magical foods, but it works.   Once you’ve consumed my magical elixir, your cold, which in a normal person lasts seven to 10 days, will be gone in 48 hours or less.
The key active ingredient in the chicken is not just the whole chicken but more specifically in the collagen of the bones, so this takes some special action to get at it.  The chicken is first simmered whole to cook the whole bird, then the meat is removed (now you’ve got some great chicken for sandwiches or chicken pot pie, etc.), then the carcass is put back in the pot for the long, slow extraction of the boney goodness.  Combined with the magic of garlic and chilies, this is a three-pronged attack on any cold or flu bug.
As an added bonus, this elixir also provides natural male enhancement, unlimited energy and reverses hair loss.  Call now – operators are standing by!



Chicken and chili broth

1 whole chicken, about 3 or 4 pounds
10 – 15 dried chilies
1 head garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Rinse the chicken and place in your stock pot.   Slice the chilies and knock out all the seeds (you don’t need the heat, just the magic of the chili itself).  Add the chilies to the pot.  Slice the head of garlic so you have two halfs with all the cloves exposed, then toss that in the pot. Cover the whole thing with several inches of cold water and season with the salt and whole black peppercorns.   Place the pot on the stove on high heat until it just comes to the boil.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer gently for an hour and 15 minutes, skimming off any scum that accumulates on the surface during that time.   Remove the chicken from the broth using a wooden spoon or tongs.  Drain well and place it on a serving platter.  Let cool for 15 minutes or so, then remove all the skin and meat from the legs and breast, adding bones back into the pot as you do.   Place the now-meatless carcass back in the pot and continue simmering gently for another hour or more.   Strain the stock well through cheesecloth.   There are two good methods to de-fat the stock.  One is to do it in batches with a gravy separator, or you can just put the strained stock in a bowl, cover it and put in the refrigerator until cool and the fat will be solidified on top.  Use your stock to make a clear broth consommé (if you’re really not feeling well) or a good old classic chicken soup, as below.

Chicken noodle soup

1 teaspoon vegetable oil or reserved chicken fat
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1 small carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 small onion, peeled and finely minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
A couple of tablespoons of tomato paste
1 litre (4 cups) chicken broth
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup chicken meat, chopped in small dice
1/2 cup dried soup noodles
salt and pepper to taste

Heat your soup pot over medium heat for several minutes then add the vegetable oil or chicken fat.   Add the celery, carrot and onion and gently sauté for five or six minutes.  Add the garlic and sauté another minute.  Add the tomato paste and stir in.   Saute for a couple more minutes then add the chicken broth.  Add the bay leaves, chicken, soup noodles and season with salt and pepper.  Simmer gently until all vegetables and noodles are tender, stirring occasionally.  Discard the bay leaves and serve.