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20 cups of water

1 or 2 large sweet onions, sliced

3 or 4 carrots, cut in half

3 or 4 stalks of celery, cut in half

5 whole peppercorns

1 pint plum tomatoes

giblets from leftover chicken OR 8 chicken wings Or leftover carcass from chicken dinner

3 additional stalks of celery, cut into chunks

3 additional carrots, cut into chunks

1 additional sweet onion, chopped

1 cup corn

1 bag frozen soup vegetables

2 cups green beans

2 potatoes, diced

1/2 cup barley

2 cups hearty pasta

salt and pepper, to taste

Parmesan cheese, to garnish

On the stove top in a 9-quart kettle, add water and bring to a boil. Add tomatoes and cook until skin splits. Transfer tomatoes from kettle and place in cold water to stop the cooking process. Remove skins and discard.

Add chicken, sweet onion, carrots, celery, peppercorns, and skinned tomatoes to the same water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Strain broth and discard everything but the broth. (Note: If you use chicken wings, you can add the meat to the soup base.) Return broth back to kettle. Add additional celery, additional carrots, and additional onion; then simmer for about 15 minutes. Add frozen soup vegetables, corn, green beans, potatoes, barley, and pasta. Simmer until all vegetables are tender, but not soft. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Just before serving, sprinkle with Parmesan. This soup freezes well. (Note: Serve with rosemary bread.)

Yield: 12 - 15 servings.