The one thing I regret about not hosting a big holiday dinner is that we don’t get to make any soup from the turkey or ham bones. There is nothing better than a soup made from the real deal, instead of some sodium-soaked store-bought stock. Alas, desperate times and lack there-of require an instant fix now and again, so for this make-do chicken soup I combined chicken and beef stock after browning some skin-on and bone-in chicken thighs. The flavor is almost as good as if it had been boiling away all day. The addition of fennel salt was a boon, as was a dried and de-seeded guajillo pepper which quickly reconstituted itself in its hot bath. A trio of bay leaves (one of the most underestimated objects in the kitchen arsenal) rounds out the basic seasoning. Onion, garlic, celery, and carrots provided the rest. I boiled a pair of eggs for exactly seven minutes and thirteen seconds in a small pot of gently boiling water, then split them open to reveal their gold. A few sliced green onions and a generous pile of freshly-chopped cilantro rounded out the bowl. (If you’re groaning, I’m guessing I lost you at the eggs and the cilantro just threw you over the edge. That’s fine. Go.)
