Ingredients:

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
     1/2  cup           chopped onion
     1/4  cup           chopped celery
   1      clove         garlic -- minced
   3      cups          water or chicken stock
   1      cup           chopped tomato
   6      ounces        lean chicken meat -- cooked or raw
     1/4  teaspoon      thyme
     1/4  teaspoon      marjoram
   2                    bay leaves
                        freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Cook the onion, celery, and garlic over high heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly until they begin to color. Add all remaining ingredients. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 30 minutes. TO SERVE: Ladle into warm soup bowls and serve piping hot. NOTES: This is a very simple and basic preparation, an excellent way to create a thrifty meal or first course from small amounts of leftover poultry. It can of course be made from scratch by simply using uncooked poultry meat. I prefer to cut leftover bird parts into pieces with the bone still in and add them to the pot. However, this does require the sometimes inelegant exercise of dealing with the bones as you eat. VARIATIONS: Any poultry can be used, from chicken or turkey to Cornish hen or squab, and from wild duck, or poule d'eau, to snipe, quail, or pheasant. The meat of the bird can be cooked or raw. A tablespoon of blond roux mixed with some of the stock and stirred into the soup a few minutes before the simmering is complete adds a silky texture to the dish