Chicken Soup (Jewish Penicillin)
Courtesy of Cooking Jewish Cookbook 8 Servings • 20 Min. Prep Time • 90 Min. Cook Time • 12 Hrs. Chill Time • Shiitake Mushroom Matzoh balls and lokshen (thin noodles).| Ingredients |
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| 2 whole chickens (3 1/2-4lbs each) with giblets (no liver), quartered |
| 2 lb. carrots |
| 2 large onions, cut in half |
| 5 ribs celery with leaves, cut in half |
| 2 large parsnips |
| 1 small sweet potatoes (6 oz.), cut in half |
| 1 turnip (6 oz.), cut in half |
| 1 rutabaga (6 oz.), cut in half |
| 1 small celery root, cut in half (optional) |
| 1/2 green pepper, stemmed and seeded |
| 1/2 yellow pepper, stemmed and seeded |
| 2 bunches dill, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/2 c.) |
| 1/2 bunch curly leaf parsley (about 1/4 c.) |
| 3 cloves garlic |
| kosher (coarse) salt and freshly ground pepper to taste |
| chopped dill, for serving (optional) |
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| Shiitake Mushroom Matzoh Balls |
| 1/4 c. melted chicken fat or vegetable oil |
| 4 scallions, white and half the green part, thinly sliced |
| 3 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, finely chopped (1 to 11/2 c.) |
| 1 envelope matzoh ball mix, such as Manischewitz |
| 1/2 c. matzoh meal |
| 4 large eggs, lightly beaten |
| 2 Tbsp. finely chopped flat-leaf parsley |
| 1 tsp kosher (coarse) salt |
| 1/8 tsp. white pepper |
| 1 tsp. baking powder (see Notes) |
| 2 Tbsp. club soda, chicken broth, |
| or water |
Directions:
1. Place the chicken in a 16-quart stockpot and add water to barely cover. Bring just to the boiling point. Then reduce the heat to a simmer and skim off the foam that rises to the top. Add all the remaining ingredients (except the optional chopped dill) and only enough water to come within about two thirds of the height of the vegetables in the pot. (Most recipes will tell you to add water to cover. Do not do this! You want elixir of the gods or weak tea. As the soup cooks, the vegetables will shrink and will be covered soon enough,(8 to 10 c. of water total is plenty for this highly flavorful brew.) Simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 11/2 hrs.
2. Remove the chicken and about half the carrots from the pot, and set them aside.
3. Strain the soup through a fine-mesh strainer into another pot or container, pressing on the vegetables to extract all the flavor. Scrape the underside of the strainer with a rubber spatula and add the pulp to the soup. Discard the fibrous vegetable membranes that remain in the strainer. If you are fussy about clarity, you can strain it again through a fine tea strainer, but there goes some of the flavor. Cover the soup and refrigerate overnight.
4. When you are ready to serve the soup, scoop the congealed fat off the surface and discard it. Reheat, adding more dill if desired (and we do). Slice the reserved carrots, add them to the soup, and serve.
Shiitake Mushroom Matzoh Balls
1. Heat the chicken fat in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the scallions and mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms are soft, about 5 min. Set aside.
2. Combine the matzoh ball mix with the matzoh meal in a medium-size bowl. Add the eggs and mix well. Stir in the mushroom mixture (with the oil), parsley, salt, white pepper, and baking powder. Add the club soda and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hr. 3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and lightly salt it.
4. Form the mixture into balls that are a little larger than a marble, wetting your hands if necessary to keep them from sticking. Drop the balls into the boiling water and cook, covered, at a slow, steady boil (not a hard boil) until tender, about 30 min. (depending on the size of the balls).
5. Carefully remove the matzoh balls with a slotted spoon, and serve in soup.
Notes: For Passover use kosher-for-Passover baking powder, or if unavailable, it may be omitted.
Recipe Adapted from "Cooking Jewish" by Judy Bart
Kancigor. For buying information visit www.cookingjewish.com
