Sunday, October 25, 2009

H1N1 Schmenone, already...the cure


Chicken Soup + Matzo Balls






Ingredients
1 chicken, at least 3 - 4 pounds, cut up into 8 or 9 pieces
1 tablespoon of salt, more to taste
some pepper
bunch of parsley
bunch of dill
bunch of celery
1 ½ - 2 pounds of carrots
1 ½ - 2 pounds of onions
2 or 3 parsnips are nice too, but not required
lots of water and don’t forget the garlic
Directions
1. Put cleaned chicken in the bottom of a large pot.
2. Cover the chicken with water and add salt. Your pot should be less than two-thirds full.
3. Bring to a full boil over high heat. Skim off any foam that may develop, preferably into a fat skimmer. Throw out the foam, but put the water back into the soup pot.
4. Add the pepper and all the parsley and dill. Also add the heart, the leaves, and a few stalks of the celery.
5. Cut about ¼ of the carrots & onions into chunks. Also one of the parsnips if you're using them.
6. Add the chopped carrots, etc.
7. Slowly boil all this for as long as you can bear it. Three hours is ideal. Two will do. Add extra water as needed to keep the pot around two-thirds full. If you have a fat skimmer, repeatedly skim off the fat that comes to the top. If you don't, before the soup can be eaten, you'll have to leave it in the refrigerator for quite some time (probably over night), until the fat on top solidifies and can be lifted off. If you have no room in the fridge, the trunk of your car will work, assuming it's cold outside.
8. After the stock has cooked for two to three hours, turn off the heat. Then carefully remove everything from the liquid, placing it all in a colander that's sitting in a big bowl. The stock should go back into the soup pot. The chicken, vegetables, and herbs should be left to cool for about half an hour.
9. In the meantime, dice up lots of celery and the remaining carrots and onions. Parsnips too, if you're using them. If you're going to make matzoh balls, prepare and refrigerate them -- batter recipe follows.
10. Bring the soup back to a boil and add the chopped vegetables. Cook for about half an hour more. At the same time, add pieces of chicken to the pot, completely boning the chicken as you go along. (The vegetables used in making the stock can be eaten as is, chopped and added to the soup, put in your compost pile, or just thrown out.)
11. Check the seasoning. You'll probably want to add more salt and pepper. Then add the matzoh balls and cover the pot.
12. Turn the matzoh balls occasionally, and cook for another 30 minutes or so. The soup will be delicious its first day - and better the next. Store any leftover soup in the refrigerator. I store it right in the pot.
Matzoh Balls
These are delicious, not required, and certainly the least healthy part of the soup. You can use noodles or rice instead. If you do go for the matzoh balls, cook them separately and add to each bowl as you serve. Since the soup is so thick, it's also fine without a starch.
Ingredients
4 tablespoons of melted chicken fat (or use vegetable oil to cut down on cholesterol)
4 large eggs (I use jumbos)
1 cup matzoh meal (Add ¼ cup more if you like them hard; use ¼ cup less for airy balls. We prefer the harder ones.)
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons of soup stock
Directions
1. Beat the eggs slightly and then add the fat. Mix well.
2. Add the matzoh meal and the salt. Mix well.
3. Add the soup stock. Again mix well.
4. Refrigerate for ½ hour or more.
5. About 45 minutes before the soup is to be served, form little matzoh balls and drop them into the pot of boiling water. You should end up with about 8 to 10 balls. Keep the pot covered as the matzoh balls cook, and turn them a couple of times.

from Nancy…thanks! See…this link

1 comment:

  1. That's quite a recipe! I'm sure that it is very good, but WAY too much work for me...I would surely love it when someone else goes to all the trouble to make it. Maybe that's why it's a good cure.

    ReplyDelete