Hearty serving of joy comes with his meals

George Noonan's vocabulary includes words like "street car," "wood-burning stove" and "backyard chicken coops."

Those were just part of life, growing up on the Northwest Side of Chicago with two brothers, two sisters, an Irish father and Czechoslovakian mother.

As a young boy, Noonan, now 71, rode the street car down Cicero Avenue to the West Side where his grandparents, uncles, aunts and a flock of cousins lived in a three-flat.

Sometimes on weekends his whole family made the trip to share a home-cooked Czechoslovakian meal of goulash or stuffed cabbage, dumplings, potato pancakes or chicken livers with rice. For dessert there were kolaches, apple strudel and poppy seed cakes.

Grandma, who lived in the basement apartment, cooked on a wood-burning stove with fuel Grandpa gathered out of box cars just down the railroad tracks from where they lived.

They raised chickens and tended "a huge garden with everything you could possibly think of," says George, including cherry and apple trees, grapes and vegetables. Grandpa made a couple of barrels of wine every year.

"When you are exposed to stuff like that it gives you an appreciation for good food," says George, a Schaumburg resident.

Even back then it wasn't only the women who cooked. George's father, a firefighter, prepared meals at his station and at home, so it wasn't a big stretch when George took over the cooking for his family after he got married 40 years ago.

"He's a much better cook than I am," says his wife, Mary Ann, a former nurse. "I clean up the dishes."

When their two daughters were young, the family camped all over the United States and George did the cooking. He cooked during fishing trips and other outings, too.

Since one of their daughters died of leukemia 15 years ago, George and Mary Ann have been volunteering at a Lake Geneva camp for kids with cancer.

"Sometimes they have barbecues and I cook ribs, chicken, brats and hamburgers," says George, who also is a camp counselor.

At home, soups, beef stew, pasta dishes, chili and stir-fries are among his favorite recipes, some clipped from newspapers and Better Homes & Gardens.

"I've got boxes of recipes stored in the garage," George says. "I've got enough menus for the rest of my life."

Sometimes a neighbor supplies a meaty ham bone so George can make enough split pea soup to share. Pans of lasagna and containers of his signature chicken soup go to his daughter's family in Palatine.

"It's a good feeling that you're bringing people together, making someone enjoy a good part of life," he says. "Cooking brings joy into peoples' hearts."

Share some joy this week with George's chicken soup packed with vegetables and a pinch of saffron.

"Vegetables are the best part of soup," he says. "At restaurants you never get enough."

George's spinach salad has become a Thanksgiving favorite with the family, flavored with reduced-fat bacon bits.

Chicken paprikash is based on his mother's recipe; served with dumplings or noodles it is cold-weather fare to warm the heart.

George's Chicken Soup

1 whole roasting chicken (about 4 pounds)

49 ounces low-sodium chicken broth

2 pounds carrots

¾ celery stalk

2 large tomatoes

1 green pepper

2 medium onions

½ bunch fresh parsley

Pinch of saffron

1 pound noodles, your choice

Split the chicken down the back and clean. Place in large soup pot; pour in chicken broth and fill with water to cover the chicken. Bring to boil and let simmer about 30 minutes.

In the meantime, dice carrots, celery, tomatoes and green pepper. Chop onions and finely chop fresh parsley. Skim residue off soup with a strainer. Cover and simmer the chicken about 1 hour more. Skim surface again.

Add the carrots, celery, tomatoes, green pepper, onions, parsley and saffron. Simmer until vegetables are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. You may add more chicken broth if you like for stronger flavor.

To remove even more fat, let soup cool and refrigerate over night. To serve, skim off fat before reheating. Cook the noodles in a pot of boiling, salted water until tender, about 7 to 10 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water, drain again and place in bowl.

To serve: Scoop noodles into soup bowl and ladle soup over.

Serves 10 to 12.

Chicken Paprikash

1 4-pound roasting chicken

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 medium onions, sliced

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 bay leaves

Salt to taste

1 pint sour cream

1 tablespoon flour

Clean chicken: With a cleaver cut into small pieces, leaving bones in.

In a 4- to 5-quart pan heat the olive oil and butter. Saute onions several minutes until light brown. Add chicken, water, paprika, cayenne, bay and salt. Cover and cook about 40 minutes.

When chicken is cooked through, add the sour cream and warm. Blend flour with 1 to 2 tablespoons cold water and add to gravy mixture. Simmer about 5 minutes to thicken. Serve over your favorite dumpling recipe, if you wish.

Serves four to six.

Cook's note: If you don't have a cleaver you can just cut chicken into thighs, legs, breasts, wings and such. Or use boneless breasts and thighs cut into small pieces.

Spinach Salad

12 ounces spinach (wash, spin and tear into bite-size pieces)

½ pound white mushrooms, stems removed, thinly sliced

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

3 hard boiled eggs, cooled and chopped

1 ounces reduced-fat bacon bits

Dressing

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup canola oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon salt (optional)

1 teaspoon finely chopped onions

Pinch of dry mustard

Prepare spinach ahead of time. Place in bag and refrigerate to make it crispy. Refrigerate mushrooms, onion and eggs until ready to mix.

For dressing, place sugar, oil, vinegar, salt, onions and dry mustard in blender or food processor. Mix well. Pour into jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

To serve: In a salad bowl gently toss together spinach, mushrooms, onion, eggs and bacon bits. Pour dressing over just before serving.

Serves five to six.