In honor of the new "Where the Wild Things Are" movie (that I haven't seen yet), here's a recipe inspired by one of Maurice Sendak's lesser known books, "Chicken Soup with Rice". The book is a poem about eating chicken soup every month of the year. October ends with, "Whoopy once. Whoopy twice. Whoopy chicken soup with rice."
Besides having Sendak on the brain, I wanted to make something for my burly Alaskan husband who was sick with the flu. What better remedy than chicken soup? I like my soup thick, so you are welcome to add more water or broth if you prefer yours to actually be soupy. I used red wine, which gave it a nice fall kick and also a neat purplish color.
Chicken soup with rice ($7.24)
1 1/2 cups rice (I used a wild rice mix from Trader Joe's, but I don't remember how much it cost. $.75 for everyday grocery store rice)
2 large carrots, sliced ($.50)
2 stalks celery, sliced ($.50)
1 14.5-ounce can tomatoes ($1.49)
4 cups broth ($2)
2 cups red wine ($1 from Trader Joe's)
2 cups pieces of chicken ($1)
3 tablespoons dried parsley
salt and pepper
Put all ingredients in a crock pot and heat on high 4-6 hours. Or, if the chicken is already cooked, just nuke it until it's hot. Whoopy twice and enjoy. 4-6 servings.
