MY MOM'S CHICKEN SOUP

Ingredients

1 whole chicken
3 ripe tomatoes, medium size
1 leek, washed and sliced in rounds
4 medium to large carrots sliced in rounds
1 medium head of cabbage cut in 4 wedges
1-1/2 cups of celery, chopped
2 medium brown onions, chopped
1/2 cup of parsley cleaned and chopped (If available, use whole parsley root with tops removed)
2 tablespoons of sea salt
1 large pot of water

Method

Fill pot to slightly below the rivets (handles), begin to bring to a low boil
Remove innards from the chicken and rinse it.
Place chicken in the pot as soon as it is ready and add salt.
Add onions, celery, parsley, tomatoes (whole), carrots, leek and cabbage
Once pot is boiling, lower flame and low boil for 3 hours. This soup does not require stirring.
After soup has cooked for approximately 1 hour, smash the tomatoes in the pot with a spoon.
For those who like to eat chicken, you can remove the chicken with a skimmer or similar large utensil, separate the meat from the bones and skin, discard the bones and skin and return the meat to the pot.