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Chicken Liver and Noodle Soup
Instructions
Get the ingredients ready for the chicken liver and vermicelli soup.
Peel and wash the potatoes and cut them into medium cubes.
Pour water into a pot and add the diced potatoes. Heat, bring to the boil, reduce the heat, and cook for 10 minutes.
Peel and wash the onion and cut it into small pieces. Peel and wash the carrot and grate it on a coarse grater.
Add the onion and carrot to a preheated skillet with vegetable oil. Sauté until soft and golden, 3–4 minutes. The sauté for the soup is ready.
Add the sauté to the pot with the potatoes, and start on the liver.
Trim the veins from the chicken liver. Wash it, pat it dry, and cut it into small pieces.
Set the skillet over the heat. Add a knob of butter and the prepared liver.
Stirring, sauté the liver until partially cooked.
Then add the liver and the bay leaf to the soup.
Season with salt and pepper and boil the soup with the chicken liver for 10 minutes.
Add the fine thin vermicelli and cook for 2–3 minutes.
Finely chop the greens with a knife, add them to the pot, and turn off the heat. The chicken liver and vermicelli soup is ready. Let it steep for 5–10 minutes.
Ladle into bowls and serve for lunch.Bon appétit!
Tips
- 1
Sauté the liver separately, in butter. This is the "secret" to the aroma. Added straight to the soup, it turns out "boiled", without its characteristic flavour.
- 2
Partial cooking matters. The liver finishes cooking in the soup. Frying it through and then boiling it for 10 minutes will make the liver "rubbery".
- 3
"Spider web" vermicelli for 2–3 minutes is ideal. Any longer and it "falls apart" into the soup. Thick vermicelli isn't suitable – it's no good for a light soup.
- 4
Letting it steep for 5–10 minutes lets the flavours "come together". Served straight away, the soup tastes "raw" in aroma. The same principle works in other liver soups.
FAQ
How do I choose chicken liver? +
Fresh liver is firm and dark burgundy, with no grey film. The smell should be neutral, with no "chemical" note. Each piece should be about 30–50 g (medium-sized). Frozen liver should be thawed in the fridge for 6–8 hours, not in hot water. Always trim off the veins and membranes – they cause bitterness. Soaking it in milk for 30 minutes removes any "specific" off-taste. Remove any greenish spots (bile), as they cause strong bitterness. Don't buy liver that is very dark or slimy – it has gone off. Pat it dry before sautéing so the oil doesn't "spit".
What can I use instead of "spider web" vermicelli? +
Alternatives include fine pasta shapes (stars or letters, for a children's soup), short-grain rice (add it 15 minutes before the end), millet (a more "rustic" option), or couscous (quick to cook, with an interesting texture). You can leave out the grain altogether for a "light", diet-friendly version. Don't use large pasta (elbows, shells) – they "overpower" the delicate soup. The standard ratio is 30–40 g of grain per 750 ml of broth; more than that and the soup "thickens". Thin vermicelli absorbs the broth quickly – serve straight away.
How long does the soup keep? +
In the fridge, in a covered pot, it keeps for 2–3 days. Reheat it on the stovetop to 80 °C – don't let it boil, or the liver will become "rubbery". In the microwave, reheat single portions for 1–2 minutes, covered. I don't recommend freezing it (the potatoes and liver will "fall apart"). It's at its best freshly cooked, on the first day. On the second day the soup has "steeped", but the liver becomes firmer. Don't leave it at room temperature for longer than 2 hours – soup with offal spoils quickly. The vermicelli will "soak up" the broth, so the next day the soup will be thicker – just add some boiled water.
What do I serve the soup with? +
Classics are with sour cream (1 tbsp per bowl) and fresh herbs (dill, parsley). With black or white bread. With garlic croutons for a "rustic" serving. With herbal tea or a fruit drink for a warming lunch. It's handy in a flask for a "packed lunch". With hot pies or buns. For a "children's lunch", serve it with white bread and thinly sliced cucumber. It's a versatile light lunch for weekdays. It's especially good in cold weather or when you're "watching your diet" – the soup is light and nourishing.
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