Virus Killin' Soup

Okay, does it really kill viruses?...I don't know. But it's definitely got enough garlic to do something good. I got this from my friend Chloe at the homeschool forum I use, and it's definitely a hit with lots of folks there. This is a pretty hearty, chunky vegetable soup with a little kick to it. We're all teetering on the edge of colds here so I made a pot of this yesterday. The kids all really like it...which I was a little surprised about. And it definitely warms the tummy and throat.

One whole chicken
20-30 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 T. salt
3-4 thyme sprigs
about 1 t. cayenne pepper (or to taste)
fresh rosemary sprig
fresh ground black pepper

Place the chicken and above ingredients in a soup pot or pressure cooker and cover with water or chicken broth. (I used water and 2 boullion cubes.) Cook until chicken starts to fall apart. Remove from heat. Strain out the chicken, garlic, etc. to get the pure broth. Reserve the broth for the next step. When chicken is cool, debone and chop. Discard the garlic cloves and herb sprigs.

1 large onion, chopped
1 fennel bulb, sliced thin and chopped
1 leek, chopped
4-6 stalks celery, chopped
1 large red pepper, chopped
1/2 lb. carrots, peeled and chopped
2 T. olive oil
1/2 c. white wine (or one small juice box size white wine)
salt and pepper to taste

Drizzle oil in bottom of large pot and heat. Add onion, fennel, celery, leek, pepper, and carrots; saute until onion is just transparent. Add wine and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Cover veggies with broth from chicken. (You can add additional broth or boullion if needed.) Simmer until veggies are tender.

Add the following ingredients and simmer until everything is tender:
green beans, frozen, canned, or fresh
frozen peas
zucchini, sliced or chopped
parsley, chopped
1-2 cans, tomato polpa with juice
chopped chicken
salt and pepper to taste

You can also add chopped cabbage or any other vegetables that you have in your crisper. On the second day, throw in some pasta and turn it into chicken noodle soup.