Chicken soup, two ways

I have received a request for my chicken soup recipe. Alas, I cannot take credit for this delicious and incredibly useful recipe, as it is by Pam Anderson, from her book Perfect Recipes for Having People Over.  In name-dropping mode, I am proud to report that in the Six Degrees of Separation game I am only two degrees of separation from Pam, as I know at least two people who are former parishioners of her husband, one of whom, a great lady in her own right, called her "a great lady." You will surely agree when you try her soup or other recipes. :-)

Pam Anderson's Chicken Noodle Soup
2 quarts chicken broth (I use Swanson Natural Goodness or reduced sodium)
1 store-bought roast chicken, meat picked from bones and pulled into bite-size pieces, bones and skin reserved
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 large onions, cut into medium dice
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into rounds or half-rounds, depending on size
2 large celery stalks, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 cups egg noodles (the very wide "homestyle" noodles are particularly nice for this)
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 cup frozen green peas (optional)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional but good)
salt and pepper

Bring broth and 4 cups water to a simmer in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add reserved chicken bones and skin, reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer until bones release their flavor, about half an hour. Strain broth into a large bowl; discard bones and skin. (At this point, if you have time, you can chill the soup and discard fat; because this is a chicken soup for when I'm in a hurry, I usually use my trusty fat separator.)
Return pot to burner set on medium-high. Add oil, then onions, carrots, and celery, and saute until soft, about 10 minutes. Add chicken and broth and bring to a simmer.
Add noodles and thyme. Simmer until tender (according to noodle package directions). Stir in peas and parsley, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy.

Now this is very definitely not Jewish chicken soup, and as I am an authentic Jewish mother, I have my own way of making chicken soup. And I don't usually make it like my own Jewish mother, although her soup is superlative. She uses more carrots and far less green stuff and ends up with a nicely golden soup. Mine has a greenish tint, I'm afraid, but I like it.

Jewish chicken soup is usually served as a clear broth with matzo balls or noodles, perhaps with a couple of slices of carrot floating in the soup for color.  You can make very good matzo balls by following the instructions on a box of matzo meal. It's important to refrigerate the dough for exactly as long as directed.

Florence's Jewish Chicken Soup
1 chicken, plus any extra necks/wings/giblets you may have saved (I keep a bag in the freezer)
3 large carrots, peeled and cut in chunks
1 or 2 parsnips, peeled and cut in chunks
2 celery stalks, cut in chunks
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
1 clove garlic, peeled and lightly crushed (optional)
1 bunch parsley, washed
1 small bunch dill or half a large bunch, washed

Place the chicken in a stockpot and cover it with water by about an inch (2 to 3 quarts). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a simmer and skim away the proteinaceous scum that has risen to the top. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and several grinds of pepper or a few peppercorns, then add all the vegetables, lay the bunches of herbs on top, partially cover, and cook until the chicken is well-done (joints very loose), maybe 45 to 60 minutes (not sure of timing, alas).

Remove the chicken from the pot. Allow it to cool enough to handle, then remove the best meat (breasts, legs) and return the bones and the rest to the pot. Cook two more hours. (Alternatively, you can cook the whole chicken longer and skip this part, but the chicken will be really overcooked and less usable. To get a flavorful broth and a whole usable chicken from a supermarket bird, you have to start the soup with half chicken broth/half water.)

Strain the broth twice, the first time just to get out all the cooked bones and veggies and the second time carefully, through a fine strainer or a double layer of cheesecloth.
Remove fat, either by chilling or with a fat separator. Correct seasonings and serve with matzo balls or noodles (the noodles can be cooked in the broth if you like, but matzo balls are best cooked separately in salted water). Enjoy.