Chicken Florentine Soup

1. Rinse chicken and place in soup pot. Add bay leaves and a little salt, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon. Add water until chicken is covered by a depth of about 1 inch; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is tender, about 1 hour.

2. Remove chicken and set aside to cool. Continue to simmer broth over low heat.

3. Heat olive oil over medium heat in large saucepan. Add carrot and onion and saute until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and saute 1 minute. Add tomatoes and their juices and bring to a simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Meanwhile, remove skin and bones from chicken and discard them. (Or for a more flavorful, but longer-to-make soup, return bones to pot and simmer with broth for 1 hour more, then strain.) Chop or shred chicken meat.

4. Pour tomato mixture into pot of simmering broth. Add egg noodles and simmer 10 minutes. Add chopped spinach and chicken meat and continue simmering until noodles are tender. Stir in basil. Taste for salt and pepper, and adjust seasoning, as needed. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle each bowl with Parmesan cheese.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Source: Winston-Salem Journal - Winston-Salem, NC