Everyone cooks at home sometime. As our culinary skills progress we begin to enjoy dining in. Some do it rarely and, for others, it is a nightly habit. We pick up on cooking skills from different places – friends, family, classes, television shows, online, and, of course, from mom.

In this column I will share with you some of the recipes that have had an impact on my life, with special emphasis on recipes that are healthy, nutritious, delicious and just plain good for the soul. I’ll look for alternatives to heavily-buttered southern comfort dishes, and highlight foods that benefit HIV-positive readers. As a practitioner of Chinese medicine, I will share insights into food’s energies and how it can be used to heal.

One of my mentors, Misha Cohen of the Quan Yin center in San Francisco, has been a pioneer in HIV wellness since the early ’80s. She is a big advocate of smart eating to enhance wellness. She also runs Chicken Soup Chinese Medicine Clinic. With that in mind, let’s talk food!

Throughout the ages and all over the world, everyone from doctor to grandma prescribe chicken soup because it has curative powers. It is simple to prepare, relatively cheap, nutritious and very easily digested, and is one recipe that should be in everyone’s kitchen. The modifications of the classic recipe are endless – from adding ginger to settle an uneasy stomach, to adding a little hot sauce to give it a punch. In my early 20s I would take boxed organic free range chicken broth (I still use it occasionally), heat it in a pot with sliced carrots, celery and onions, cook it all until the ingredients were tender, add egg noodles, simmer for five minutes, add the shredded meat from a rotisserie chicken and call it done.

Now, I make my own chicken stock, which is a solid foundation for many recipes. While it may seem a bit elaborate, the delicious result will blow your mind! Here is a simple recipe for classic Jewish chicken soup.

Trivia tip of the week: Also, each week I’ll give you a tip to make life in the kitchen a bit easier, and your dishes a bit tastier. This week’s tip: Keeping tomatoes at room temperature will prolong freshness over placing them in the refrigerator.

4 pounds chicken, quartered

3 quarts cold water

6 large carrots, thinly sliced

3 large celery stalks with leaves, sliced

3 small parsnips, peeled and sliced

1 large onion, cut into eight wedges

4 large parsley sprigs

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 pound medium egg noodles

2 tablespoons minced parsley

Directions

1. In a stock pot, bring chicken and the water to a boil, skimming foam. Add all but two cups of carrots, and celery, parsnips, onion, parsley sprigs, two teaspoons of the salt and the pepper. Simmer partially covered, about one hour, or until chicken is cooked. Remove chicken to a plate and let cool. Remove skin and bones, discard. Shred meat, set aside.

2. Strain broth through cheesecloth-lined sieve into clean five quarts pot. Press solids to extract liquid. Add remaining carrots and salt. Simmer covered, five minutes. Add noodles, simmer covered seven minutes or until carrots are tender and noodles are cooked. Add chicken and minced parsley. Heat through. Makes eight servings