HandedDown
ALL IT TAKES TO STEP BACK IN TIME is a beloved recipe and
a handful of ingredients. The ability to re-create a family dish
treasured across the generations is nothing short of magic. There’s
a comforting, healing quality to following these time-honored steps
and creating something to be enjoyed while gathering with loved
ones. The memories formed around these family dishes are the
hallmark of Southern heritage recipes. And while there are several
dishes I remember very fondly, it’s my great-great-grandmother’s
chicken noodle soup that stands out most vividly in my mind.
From as far back as I can remember, at every family gathering
big or small, you were sure to fi nd a big pot of my grandmother’s
chicken noodle soup bubbling on the stove. This treasured dish
wasn’t confined to cooler weather (although it is the perfect
bowl for curling up with on a cool fall night). Growing up in Texas
meant the hottest of summers, and yet, there it was, no matter
the occasion. These gatherings always seemed to off er an endless
amount of delicious food. But that chicken noodle soup was the dish
everyone gravitated to fi rst.
Like so many wonderful traditions, the recipe has its origins
in another time and place. In writing this piece, I spoke with my
mother, grandparents, and other family members about their
memories of this soup. It turned out that, like a lot of other family
recipes, no one had ever written it down. In true Southern fashion,it has been passed down by one generation teaching the next and
adapting it over time. It was remarkable how everyone recalled this
soup as the one dish that reminded them of their childhood: how
it tasted, how it made them feel, and the way it transported them
back to a simpler time in their lives.
This transformative power of cooking and baking, once
confined to the memories of my childhood, found its way to me
again as a parent to my own young children. This tradition of
following the process, making something to be share by loved
ones, creating our own memories and stories to be passed down
became so special to me. Watching my children with the same
delight and wonder in their eyes as they work side by side making
(and eating) these favorite childhood recipes is wonderful. When
the world pulls us in a thousand diff erent directions, these recipes
from the past guide us home.Megan Neveu is the Texas-based food photographer, recipe developer, and
blogger behind Olives & Thyme. To check out her stories, recipes, and more,
visit olivesnthyme.com or find her on Instagram at @olivesnthyme.Grandma’s Chicken Noodle Soup
BY MEGAN NEVEU