FAMILY MEDICINE® COLUMN
By John C. Wolf, D.O.
Associate Professor of Family Medicine®
Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine

DR. WOLF BECOMES CHEF WOLF FOR A DAY

I've done something a bit different for this week's column. The time of year with the Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year's Day celebrations approaching is busy for everyone. Most of the people here at the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine are ready to take a break from their regular work routine. I thought that you, my readers, might feel the same way and be ready for a break from my usual treatise on the diagnosis and treatment of illness. So, the following is the recipe for a dish that is a special holiday treat for my family a discussion of food that provides sustenance and pleasure, not a discussion of human ailments.

Actually, the following isn't my recipe, but rather one from my mother-in-law. She prepares chicken and noodles as part of every holiday family gathering. Even though they aren't the entrée, they are always the first thing I reach for. They are even good warmed up, on those rare occasions when there is any left to warm up. She, like most good cooks, adds ingredients until it looks "just so" and seasons until it tastes "just right." I've gotten so I can make chicken and noodles nearly as well as she does by following her recipe. You could say that I'm developing a sense of what is "right." Hopefully, you will be able to, too.

Holiday Chicken and Noodles

Boil one whole skinless chicken in 5 quarts of water. Maintain at slow boil for one hour. Remove chicken to cool.

(Now a brief break from the recipe to talk about the noodles. Handmade egg noodles are the best, of course. When time permits, my mother-in-law and I make our own noodles. However, the frozen egg noodles from the grocery are nearly as good. I prefer the thick style instead of the thin and narrow variety.)

Add about one pound of egg noodles to the water in which the chicken was cooked. Bring to a boil and then cover pan and reduce heat and simmer for one hour.

While the noodles simmer, remove chicken from bones. Tear or cut meat into small pieces.

After the noodles have simmered for one hour, add the chicken meat and one can of Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup. It may be necessary to add a little water to keep the proper consistency. If so, add one chicken bouillon cube per cup of added water.

Simmer another 10 minutes or so, then remove from heat. Let the chicken and noodles cool a bit before serving.

Occasionally, I add carrots, celery, tarragon, thyme, or other seasoning, but my mother-in-law doesn't. And frankly, her chicken and noodles are better than mine.

I personally want to wish you a joyous holiday season. I hope you have a healthy measure of family, good friends and good food.

Family Medicine® is a weekly column. To submit questions, write to John C. Wolf, D.O., Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Grosvenor Hall, Athens, Ohio 45701.