ROAST CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• Drizzle some of the olive oil in the bottom of a roasting pan and move it around to discourage sticking.
• Wash, seed and quarter the squash and place in the pan peel-side down. Add quartered onion, potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms and any other vegetables you like to the pan, distributing them evenly. **Note: Celery does not roast well.
• Prepare the garlic head for roasting by removing any loose peel/paper and slice the top off, exposing each of the cloves. Tuck the head in the pan among the vegetables and drizzle a bit of olive oil over it.
• Season chicken as desired and place right on top of the vegetables. They act as a rack and the chicken seasons the vegetables wonderfully.
• Roast in 450F oven for 20 minutes then turn oven down to 400F for remaining cook time [usually 45 minutes for me, but this all depends on bird weight].
• After chicken is thoroughly cooked the vegetables will also be cooked. Time to plate and serve -- enjoy your wonderful roast chicken and vegetable dinner :).
• Once dinner is over, remove remaining meat from bones. I set the breast meat aside for sandwiches and save the rest for the soup. Place the bones in your crock with a bay leaf and just enough water to cover and let it simmer overnight at low setting. [Mine only has a low/high cook option] Don't forget to add the drippings from the pan.
• Next morning I scoop out the bones and leaf to discard. I also strain the broth, though it probably isn't necessary. Fat can be scooped from the top of the stock at any time you like but it should be minimal.
• Add the leftover roasted vegetables cut into bite size pieces. A quick chop should do since they're already cooked and easy to cut. [If you use the spaghetti squash, be sure to scrape out/use all the goodness and discard the peel] Also add bite size pieces of the meat.
• Mince and add as much of the roasted garlic as desired. The whole head may be too much for your taste, but the cloves have many other wonderful uses so it wont go to waste :).
• Taste the stock and add seasoning to preference.
• At this point the soup is ready to serve [pack for lunches]. I allow it to simmer throughout the day as the flavors will continue to develop.
• Optional - Add a cup of grain here. It will cook as the soup simmers.