The Magic of Chicken Soup
The other day I woke up with a scratchy throat and I knew what was going to happen. I now live with a huge head cold and now I am not able to eat, taste or think. I was going to write about soups and how great they make a great topic for a cookbook. But this posting will be short.
My Mother made Jewish Penicillin. Yes, her soup could cure the common cold. No matter when I was sick that soup was nice and hot. I recovered quickly. I want my mother’s soup! I have the recipe but my soup does not have the same healing properties. I know that her key secret ingredient was a pullet, not just any chicken would do. The other secret she had was to slowly cook the soup and in later years she used a crock-pot.
I can follow the recipe, use all the ingredients but it is not my mother’s chicken soup. I will post the recipe later on this site as a comment and you can see if when you make the soup it has those magical properties. My mother is 83 and still makes her soup but she is in Florida and I am here in Minnesota. I will not go back to bed but remember just because you have the same recipe does not mean you can make the dish the same way.
My Mother made Jewish Penicillin. Yes, her soup could cure the common cold. No matter when I was sick that soup was nice and hot. I recovered quickly. I want my mother’s soup! I have the recipe but my soup does not have the same healing properties. I know that her key secret ingredient was a pullet, not just any chicken would do. The other secret she had was to slowly cook the soup and in later years she used a crock-pot.
I can follow the recipe, use all the ingredients but it is not my mother’s chicken soup. I will post the recipe later on this site as a comment and you can see if when you make the soup it has those magical properties. My mother is 83 and still makes her soup but she is in Florida and I am here in Minnesota. I will not go back to bed but remember just because you have the same recipe does not mean you can make the dish the same way.
I am feeling much better and will give you the recipe.
large stock pot
4 quarts of water
1 large cut up pullet or stewing chicken
all parts included
2 whole onions halved
3 stalks of celery, cut and include top
3 carrots cut in half for stock
10 mini carrots to be added to finish
stock pot
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper corns
6 sprigs of parsley
Bring water to boil and then add chicken.
add all vegetables (leave 2-3 sprigs of parsley to serve when served.
Turn heat to a slow simmer.
Skim off any residue.
Cover and simmer for 2-3 hours.
Strain soup:remove meat, discard all vegetables.
Bring broth to room temperature, then refrigerate. When broth is cold the fat will congeal to be remove easily. Can be done around 3 hours but can be left over night.
Cut up chicken for chicken salad and save a few pieces to be used when serving your soup. Leaving chicken in broth will cause the soup to sour quickly.
When ready to serve heat broth
add matzoh balls, rice or cooked egg noodles. Half cup per person.
add 10 mini carrots tender via microwave
add 3 sprigs of parsley chopped
add pepper and salt to taste
sprinkle dry ginger with matzoh balls to kick it up a notch.
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Wow, Hella, this soup sounds yummy! I have my own recipe, handed down from my Nonna (Italian grandmother), which I make frequently during the cold Michigan weather. The difference I see in your Mom's recipe, is the refrigeration over night. I wonder if THAT has something to do with the taste factor? You know some foods taste better the next day? Could the same be true for this soup? I'm going to make your Mom's recipe, as we are due for some soup around here! But, when I do, I am going to take half of it and continue stright on with making the soup for immediate serving, and then refrig the other half as your Mom's recipe states, and will finish it the next day and see how it tastes, doing a comparison with the "fresh" soup vs the "day old" soup. I'll post my opinion of both here for you and your guests!
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