Grandma was right

Chicken soup really does help do what modern medicine can't -- cure the common cold.

That's right. Doctors at the University of Nebraska actually did some research and proved that chicken soup can help ease cold symptoms. It primarily works by reducing inflammation in the nose and throat.

Dr. Stephen Rennard's research, published in 2000, came centuries after the Egyptian Jewish physician and philosopher, Moshe ben Maimonides, recommended chicken soup for respiratory tract symptoms in his 12th century writings. And since his writings were based on earlier Greek writings, it appears the chicken soup cure is even older than that.

The study focused on the movement of neutrophils – the most common white cell in the blood that defends the body against infection. Rennard suspected that reducing the movement of this white blood cell would reduce activity in the upper respiratory tract that cause cold symptoms.

Rennard's study found the soup only worked if it included chicken and vegetables. While commercially-prepared soups did work, Rennard's research was inspired by his wife's "Grandma's soup."


Grandma's Soup
1 5- to 6-pound stewing hen or baking chicken
1 package of chicken wings
3 large onions
1 large sweet potato
3 parsnips
2 turnips
11 to 12 large carrots
5 to 6 celery stems
1 bunch of parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Clean the chicken, put it in a large pot and cover it with cold water. Bring the water to boil. Add the chicken wings, onions, sweet potato, parsnips, turnips and carrots. Boil about 1 and a half hours. Remove fat from the surface as it accumulates. Add the parsley and celery. Cook the mixture about 45 min. longer. Remove the chicken. The chicken is not used further for the soup. (The meat makes excellent chicken parmesan.) Put the vegetables in a food processor until they are chopped fine or pass through a strainer. Both were performed in the present study. Salt and pepper to taste. (Note: This soup freezes well.)

This is timely for two reasons: we're in the middle of cold season, and now that Thanksgiving is over, I imagine many of us have a well-picked turkey carcase in the refrigerator just waiting to be turned into soup. I would imagine a good turkey soup has many of the same curative properties as a good chicken soup. Here's my favorite recipe:


Turkey Barley Soup
Leftover turkey carcase
Water
Salt to taste
Put turkey carcase in a large stock pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer, uncovered, 2 to 3 hours. Strain to separate turkey solids from broth. Let solids cool, return broth to the stove and simmer another 30 to 60 minutes, skimming off any fat that comes to the top. When cool enough to handle, pick off any turkey meat and set aside.
1 onion, finely diced
2 stems celery, finely diced
2-3 tsp. diced garlic
3 Tbl. butter or extra virgin olive oil
3 large carrots, diced
1-2 parsnips, diced
turkey broth and reserved meat
1/2-1 cup quick cook barley
Salt to taste
In a saute pan, saute onion, celery and garlic until very soft. Add sauteed vegetables, carrot and parsnip to broth and cook until carrot and parsnips are soft. Add barley and bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook for as long as required on barley package. Add meat and heat through. Season to taste with salt.