There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
Ingredients: 1 stewing chicken, skin on 1 large white onion (or 2 small onions), chopped 2-3 carrots, chopped 2-3 stalks celery, chopped 2 large cloves garlic, peeled 2 quarts unsalted chicken stock 1 tbsp butter 1 sprig Italian parsley 1 sprig thyme 1-2 bay leaves 1 star anise 1 tbsp red wine vinegar salt and pepper
For serving: Buttered egg noodles
Heat a stock pot on medium-high heat. Add butter (or substitute oil) and then add onion, carrot, and celery. Season with salt and cook until just soft. Add garlic cloves whole and heat until fragrant. Add chicken and chicken stock. Add stock or water until the chicken is covered by at least one inch.
Tie herbs into bouquet garni with kitchen twine or cheesecloth (or just let them float around in the broth, whatever works). Season with salt and pepper and add the star anise pod. Bring just to boil then reduce to simmer, skimming the fat occasionally as needed.
Simmer until the chicken is tender but not yet falling apart. Remove the bird from the broth and place on cutting board to rest. You can remove the bouquet garni and anise star as all of the flavor should have infused by this point. Taste the broth and add more salt and pepper as needed. Add 1 tbsp red vinegar or more to taste.
Remove meat from the chicken, coarsely chop into bite-sized pieces, and return to broth. Continue to simmer until ready to consume.
I cook my noodles separately. This allows each diner to add as many or as few as desired, and keeps the noodles from overcooking. The soup is better the second day! For added cold-busting properties, serve with a big squeeze of Sriracha or other hot sauce.