Spicy Carrot-Potato Soup with Homemade Chicken Broth

Yield 3 servings

Homemade chicken broth for soup
3 medium pieces of chicken, cleaned
3 & 1/2 cups water, room temperature
1 medium onion, peeled and halved
6 fresh parsley stems
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Soup
3 cups water, room temperature
2 cups chicken broth, homemade (recipe follows)
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into medium chunks
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into medium chunks
Salt, black ground pepper to taste
1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced

Herby Croutons
4 large pieces of sourdough bread, torn in small pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
Salt to taste

To make a homemade chicken stock:

To a medium stock pot, add chicken and cold water to cover. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to low and skim the foam off the top.

Add onion and salt. If desired, place parsley stems, bay leaf, and peppercorns into a cotton cheesecloth to make a sachet. Add loosely to the pot.

Simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through, for about 20-30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot and strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer. Pour broth into a container, cover with a lid, and chill it overnight in the refrigerator.

To make a soup:

Pour water and 1 cup of chicken stock into a large stock pan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add carrots and potato. Cook for about 20 minutes until soft. Remove from the heat, add jalapenos, and puree with a stand-up mixer. Add one more cup of chicken broth, and check for spices. Return to the heat and bring to a simmer again. Cook for about 2-3 minutes more. Check for spices, add if needed. Sometimes, to keep a right texture, you will need to add more water.

Before serving, make croutons:

Add pieces of bread and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large plastic bowl. Mix well with your hands. Place a parchment paper on a grill pan and heat medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes. Add oiled bread and grill until brown mark on pieces. Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, place olive oil, parsley, and pine nut into the kitchen mortar and grind with pestle for about 1-2 minutes. Lightly sprinkle with salt.

Remove pieces of bread from the heat. Set aside for about 2 minutes. Add bread and parsley mixture into a medium plastic bowl and mix well.

Make a soup a day before and reheat just before serving. Pile croutons on top.