Chicken Soup
When I was nine, my mother had surgery and was incapacitated for about six weeks. Every Friday, my job would be to get the chicken soup on the go so that when she came downstairs, after I had gone to school, she didn’t need to stand at the stove nor lift any heavy pans. Needless to say, the recipe for this elixir has remained deeply embedded within my soul ever since.
Volumes have been written about this iconic dish and I have little to add, other than to confirm that it is indeed curative, nutritive, supportive, wholesome, comforting, golden and delicious. Its powers are more than the stuff of folklore; chicken soup is a scientifically documented cold cure — Jewish penicillin indeed.
Naturally, there are thousands of versions out there and every Jewish cook has their own take. I would humbly suggest that the version below is the definitive recipe and that no variations may be tolerated.
Chicken Soup
When I was nine, my mother had surgery and was incapacitated for about six weeks. Every Friday, my job would be to get the chicken soup on the go so that when she came downstairs, after I had gone to school, she didn’t need to stand at the stove nor lift any heavy pans. Needless to say, the recipe for this elixir has remained deeply embedded within my soul ever since.
Volumes have been written about this iconic dish and I have little to add, other than to confirm that it is indeed curative, nutritive, supportive, wholesome, comforting, golden and delicious. Its powers are more than the stuff of folklore; chicken soup is a scientifically documented cold cure — Jewish penicillin indeed.
Naturally, there are thousands of versions out there and every Jewish cook has their own take. I would humbly suggest that the version below is the definitive recipe and that no variations may be tolerated.
Open in Cookpad AppSteps
- 1
Place the chicken in a large pan and cover with cold water by 5cm.
- 2
Add the salt and bring to a gentle boil, skimming off any scum that rises. Keep skimming for several minutes until no more appears.
- 3
Add the vegetables and another 250ml of cold water. Bring back to a simmer and skim again if necessary.
- 4
Put the lid on and simmer for two hours. Check the seasoning and, if significantly reduced in volume, add another 250ml water.
- 5
Simmer for a further 1 – 2 hours.
- 6
Add the beetroot for the last hour of cooking to give your soup the most wonderful golden colour.
- 7
Carefully remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Do not throw this meat away: picked from the bones, it can be used right away — perfect in a curry, a chicken pie, chopped up and mixed with mayonnaise in a sandwich — or frozen for later.
- 8
Strain the soup through a fine sieve into a clean bowl or pan and allow it to cool.
- 9
When cool, refrigerate overnight, then skim off most of the fat that has hardened on top. Don’t remove it all. Those little ‘golden globules’, as my late father used to call them, demonstrate its provenance.
- 10
To serve, bring to a boil and enjoy piping hot. Garnish each bowlful with a pinch of chopped parsley, plus any (or all, if you’re my brother-in-law) of the following: kneidlach (matzo balls), kreplach (Jewish ravioli), lokshen (vermicelli or flat noodles), egg lokshen, butter beans, some of the cooked carrot from the soup, boiled rice or meat from the chicken wings. Find recipes for kneidlach and egg lokshen at www.justnotkosher.com
- 11
Chicken soup freezes well and you should always have some to hand in case of plague, famine or invasion.
Cooksnaps
Similar Recipes
More Recipes
-
બનાના રોજ પ્રીમિક્સ મિલ્ક શેઇક
-
Crunchy Creamy and Healthy Breakfast 🍓🍒
-
-
Homeroom's Classic Mac - the Mac & Cheese Cookbook
-
Maeli -
Maeli -
Maeli -
Maeli -
-
Saint Patrick's Day Cabbage, Potatoes and Cornedbeef Soup
-
-
-
-
Sweet potato and butternut soup #vegetarian dish
-
-
-
-
Ugali served with srambled egg and some vegetables
Thelma Sherry -
-
-
-
Kavita Kapoormehrotra.1 -
Comments