On Sunday, we changed things up and didn’t have any macaroni and meatballs. My mother-in-law brought a whole bunch of Rock Cornish hens over and we enjoyed a big feast of these beautifully baked birdies along with rice, glazed carrots, salad and other finger foods. The mini hens made it feel like a mini Thanksgiving.

On Monday, we utilized one of the leftover hens to create a spectacular chicken soup. Try this easy recipe, you can do it the same way with any kind of poultry…

First, sauté a large yellow onion until soft. Follow that by adding in shredded carrots, sliced mushrooms and pieces of the hen pulled from the bone. To make the broth, place the bones into a pot of water with some salt, pepper, thyme, two garlic cloves, celery and a few bay leaves. Bring the pot to a boil and then remove the bones and pour in everything from the sauté pan.

Meanwhile in a separate pot, boil some water and cook up a tiny macaroni of your choice. I tried out a box of Rienzi “i bambini” which is a new line of small cuts. Went with pennine here and they were fantastic.

Now you may be asking why I didn’t just cook the pasta in with the broth. The reason is that I have found to keep it nice and aldente, I cook it and leave it separate. I individually spoon some pasta into the bowls when I am ready to serve. Top with grated cheese and a bit of fresh cracked pepper.

Wednesday is Ash Wednesday so that means no meat if you abstain like I do. Same deal with Fridays during Lent. So whip up this soup tonight and enjoy! Add in some crumbled up sausage if you like. Why not, it’s Fat Tuesday? Till next time, mangia my friends.