Chicken Noodle Soup and Tortas

If you're a Mennonite, you're familiar with this noodle soup! One of my favorite meals even if it is a million calories, lol. A lot of women would tell you to use an organic free range chicken for the stock, it tastes better but I don't always have those in the freezer and I still enjoy the taste from other chickens.

You can make your own egg noodles but I have found that if I have to make the pasta too, I tend to not make it. So I go the easy route and buy a bag of egg noodles from a Mexican import store, way quicker.

Chicken Noodle Soup
1 chicken, cut into pieces

Generously cover with water and let this simmer for 2-3 hours. Remove the chicken and add the following herbs & spices to the broth in an "herb ball":

1/4 - 1/3 cup dried parsley or 1 small bunch fresh parsley
A 4 piece Star Anise
2-3 Whole Cloves
7-10 Whole Black Pepper
1/3 Cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
2-3 Tbsp Chicken soup bouillon (I use the Knorr brand that gets imported from Mexico, the Knorr that you find in your regular grocery store is not the same)
salt to taste

Let this simmer for about 20-30 minutes. Use a strainer when adding the broth to your noodles, you want just a nice clear broth and the noodles. The herbs/spice amounts given are just a starting point, everyone has their own preferences and you can adjust accordingly.

As for the tortas that you see in the picture, they are a perfect match to the soup. All you do is make homemade hamburger buns, I shape them into oblong buns for this just because it looks nice. Fry up some taco meat and add only a small amount of seasonings, you want the flavor of the meat to be milder than normal. What makes these things taste so good is the avocado spread and mayo! I buy the avocado spread in the fresh dips and spreads section at Superstore but you could also use just a ripe avocado. Spread the Avocado spread on one piece of bread and mayo on the other piece. Add your beef, lettuce and tomato and you're ready to enjoy!

Have a great day!
Tina