tongs (iou) and Chicken soup (recipes)

tongs (iou)

tongs noun pl. Also (long obsolete exc. in sense 1b) in sing. tong.

Treated as pl. or (rare, chiefly Scot.) sing. An implement consisting of two long limbs or legs, often with flattened or shaped ends, connected by a hinge, pivot, or spring by which their lower ends can be brought together to grasp or take up objects which it is impossible or inconvenient to lift with the hand. Also pair of tongs. OE.
R. P. Jhabvala She dropped several lumps of sugar into her tea with a pair of silver tongs. K. Amis Jacob put the log back with a pair of tongs.
b. sing. tong. One half of a pair of tongs. joc. M19.
Anything, esp. a gripping device, having two long limbs hinged at one end. LME.
b. A pair of hand-shears. Austral. & NZ slang. L19.
c. Oil Industry. A large pipe wrench used for making up or breaking out lengths of pipe or casing. E20.
Phrases & comb.: CURLING-tongs. fire-tongs: see FIRE noun. hammer and tongs: see HAMMER noun. lazy-tongs: see LAZY adjective. oyster-tongs: see OYSTER noun. SPAGHETTI tongs. sugar-tongs: see SUGAR noun. tongman US a person who gathers oysters with tongs. tongsman (a) = tongman above; (b) Oil Industry a person who handles the tongs (sense 2c above). would not touch with a pair of tongs would not have anything to do with (expr. repugnance).

Chicken soup (recipes)

Makes 1 litre/1¾ pints

Preparation time

less than 30 mins

Cooking time

1 to 2 hours

Ingredients

1kg/2lb 4oz chicken wings100g/3½oz unsalted butter2 large onions, finely chopped2 cloves garlic, finely chopped3 large carrots, finely chopped1 small head of celeriac, finely chopped250g/9oz button mushrooms, finely sliced200ml/7fl oz dry white winebouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf and celery leaves)4 whole star anise3 sticks of celery, finely sliced3 leeks, finely sliceda small piece of fresh gingersalt and freshly ground black pepperlarge bunch of fresh parsley

Method

1. Put the chicken wings into a casserole, pour over cold water just to cover and bring to the boil on a high heat. As soon as the water boils, skim off any impurities that may have risen to the surface, lift out the wings and cool them under running water. Pat dry.2. On a medium heat, melt the butter, add the chicken wings, onions, garlic, carrots, celeriac and mushrooms, and cook for 15 minutes.3. Turn the heat up, pour in the Wine, bring to the boil and reduce by half. Pour over cold water to cover by 5cm/2 inches, bring to the boil and skim off any impurities that may have risen to the surface. Add the bouquet garni and star anise, and simmer very gently for 30 minutes.4. Add the celery, leeks and ginger and continue simmering very gently for another 15 minutes. Turn off the heat; season if necessary, add the parsley and leave to stand for 20 minutes.5. Strain the soup through a fine-meshed sieve and then, if you have some, muslin. It can be eaten straight away, or left to cool and kept in an airtight container in the fridge.

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