Supă de Găină — Romanian Chicken Noodle Soup

The classical Romanian chicken soup — an old hen (or rooster) simmered slowly with plenty of vegetables
until the broth is deep golden, then finished with hand-cut noodles, lovage, and an avgolemono-style
egg-and-sour-cream thickening at the end. Sunday food; sick-day food; celebration food.

FASTING LEVEL: Non-Fasting (chicken, eggs, sour cream)

SERVINGS: 6
TIME: 2 hours 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 whole older hen or rooster (2 kg), or 1.5 kg chicken thighs and drumsticks
- 3 litres water
- 2 large onions, halved (skins on for colour)
- 3 carrots, whole
- 2 parsnips, whole
- 1 celeriac, halved
- 1 bunch fresh lovage stems (save leaves)
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 whole black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon salt

For finishing:
- 200 g wide egg noodles
- 3 egg yolks
- 150 g sour cream
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Fresh lovage leaves, chopped (or parsley + celery leaves)
- Salt and white pepper

METHOD:
1. Place chicken in a large pot. Cover with cold water. Bring slowly to a boil, skimming foam very thoroughly.
2. Add onions, carrots, parsnips, celeriac, lovage stems, bay leaves, peppercorns, and salt.
3. Reduce to a bare simmer — never boil, always simmer. Cook 90 minutes (for chicken) or 2-2.5 hours (for an older hen) until meat is falling off the bone.
4. Remove chicken. Let cool; shred meat. Discard skin and bones.
5. Strain broth. Discard lovage stems and bay leaves. Dice the boiled carrots and return to the broth (the onions and celeriac are optional — traditional Romanians discard them).
6. Bring broth back to a simmer. Add noodles. Cook according to package direction, typically 6-8 minutes.
7. Return shredded chicken to the pot.
8. Make avgolemono-style thickening: whisk egg yolks with sour cream and lemon juice.
9. Temper: slowly ladle 2 cups of hot broth into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.
10. Pour tempered mixture back into the pot over lowest heat. Stir constantly for 1 minute — do NOT boil or it will curdle.
11. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in chopped lovage.
12. Serve very hot, with extra lovage over each bowl.

NOTES:
- An older hen makes dramatically better broth than a young chicken. If you can find one (at a farmer's market or traditional butcher), use it.
- Skim the foam thoroughly in the first 15 minutes. This is what gives you clear golden broth.
- The Romanian sour cream finish distinguishes this soup from its Greek and Russian cousins. Do not omit.
- Never boil after adding eggs. The rule applies in Romanian cooking as in every cuisine with egg-thickened soups.

NUTRITION (per serving, approximate):
Calories: 360 | Protein: 32 g | Carbohydrates: 28 g | Fat: 14 g | Fibre: 2 g