This time of year, when everyone is either sick or getting sick, I like to make tori nabe, which is essentially the hot pot version of chicken soup. Nabe is the name for stews cooked in the Japanese ceramic pots called donabe, which are all the rage in home-ware circles these days, but you can make them in any pot you'd make soup in.
By combining chicken drumsticks with cold water and then bringing them to a boil together, you draw out the richness from the bones for broth and get tender meat for the soup. But the chicken is in a supporting role here _ the squash is the star.
Kabocha squash, the striped green pumpkins tumbling around farmers market stands, strike just the right balance between sweet and starchy. Because the squash's skin is edible (and tasty), I leave it on to help the thin slices stay intact in the bubbling broth, as their earthy orange flesh soaks up savory chickeny flavor.
After bok choy softens for a minute in the soup, the meal is done. A few final seasonings make this dish taste more complex: Ponzu delivers a salty and bright citrus tang, daikon a bracing peppery sharpness that mellows in the hot broth, and ginger and togarashi add a little heat. Allow your guests, family or patients to season their portions to taste at the table.
