Chicken soup for the low-sodium soul

Along with the typical onions, celery and carrots, Torres pumps up the soup’s flavor by adding root vegetables and other fresh produce to the mix. Parsnips and celery root are year-round staples, and seasonal veggies such as scallions and zucchini are added when available. Ditalini stands in for egg noodles.

Torres makes his own salt-free stock with plump stewing hens that yield a lot of fat as they simmer. “I used to sweat the vegetables in oil, but now I save the chicken fat and use that to add more flavor,” he says. He also tosses in fresh marjoram, thyme and Italian parsley, which grow all summer in The Garlands’ on-site herb garden. When winter rolls around, he specs the same fresh herbs from his distributor.

To make up for the lack of salt, Torres stirs in a low-sodium chicken broth base and ground white pepper at the end of cooking time. For service, the kitchen pulls cooked chicken meat from the stewing hens; some is added to the soup and the remainder is cross-utilized in salads and other items. “To keep the soup light, both the chicken and ditalini pasta are more like garnishes,” says Torres.