Dad had some fresh garden tomatoes on hand that needed to get eaten. The Family also had leftover broiled chicken bought from the local Cost Club store. So chicken soup seemed obvious.
Two things. First, the lack of noodles or rice is a choice Dad makes to keep carbohydrates to a minimum. When the Twins are old enough, it will have egg noodles, rice is to hard to separate once added.
Second, adding tomatoes to the soup was a risk, but one that turned out well. However, there is more to the story.
Dad made the broth by removing as much of the meat from the bones as possible and pressure cooking them (along with the skin and fat) per the cooker's directions. Unfortunately, a roasted chicken does not have nearly enough gelatin as a raw one. So it would need additional.He chopped and reserved the meat for later.
Because of reasons not worth mentioning, the tomatoes had been previously cubed and stewed along with oregano and basil (both dried, but kept in a cool, dry, dark environment). Once softened, Dad added salt and sugar to taste, turned the flame off, and then added dried garlic. The residual heat in the copper bottom pot let it bloom without turning it bitter.
Dad strained the broth of the inedible stuff, passing it through a sieve, chilled it slightly to let the fat congeal on top for easy removal, and reheated it.
He added chopped carrots and cooked until softened. He added chopped onion and the stewed tomatoes. He tasted. It needed salty, sweet, and body. He added a chicken bullion, a packet of gelatin, and some more sugar.
After bringing to a boil, he tasted again and added the previously cubed and reserved left over chicken meat.
The tomatoes brought a welcome acidity to the soup.
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