• 1 stewing chicken, skinned
• 6 celery ribs, with tops, cut in large pieces
• 4 carrots, cut in large pieces
• 2 large onions, cut in large pieces
• 1 parsnip, cut in large pieces
• 1 Tbs. whole black peppercorns
• 6 sprigs fresh parsley
• cheesecloth
• kitchen string
• salt and pepper
• dill weed

Clean the poultry and place the whole bird, including the neck and giblets, in a large pot in water to cover. Place all remaining ingredients, except the salt, pepper and dill weed for seasoning, in the cheesecloth and tie off with a piece of string; place this bundle in the pot with the chicken. Add 1 Tbs. salt to the water and boil, uncovered; cook, uncovered, until the meat falls off the bone when touched with a fork, about 1-1/2 hours. Remove the bundle of vegetables and open; return the carrots to the soup; discard the rest of the bundle. Season with the salt, pepper and dill; continue to cook the soup, uncovered, so it cooks down by about 25%.

To taste the soup during this time, take the spoon and stir until the fat on the top dissipates, so you can get a spoonful of broth to taste. When the taste of the soup meets your expectations, remove the chicken; cool the soup; refrigerate. The chicken meat can be used for sandwiches or chicken salad; discard the neck and giblets. After cooling, remove the fat that has congealed on the top of the soup, and you have defatted stock or chicken soup to heal your loved ones.

This recipe serves 6 people. Due to the nature of this recipe, it adjusts the number of servings in multiples of 6 only.

Per serving: calories 569, fat 35.8g, 57% calories from fat, cholesterol 163mg, protein 40.5g, carbohydrates 20.5g, fiber 4.9g, sugar 8.8g, sodium 296mg, diet points 13.9.

Dietary Exchanges: Milk: 0.0, Vegetable: 3.9, Fruit: 0.0, Bread: 0.0, Lean meat: 5.6, Fat: 3.8, Sugar: 0.0, Very lean meat protein: 0.0

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The recommended wines are: Chenin Blanc, Beaujolais, or Chianti.