When the sun sets Wednesday, Jews across the globe will gather and celebrate the arrival of 5772. Here are some customary dishes that take center stage.
Last week I promised to give you my recipe for honest-to-goodness Chicken Soup. Also known as Jewish penicillin, it will obliterate what ails you. We eat it all the time during the Jewish holidays and I often prepare it for Shabbat dinner, particularly during the fall, winter and spring.
Rosh Hashana begins Wednesday at sundown. Let’s pray for a 70-degree evening.
There are a number of methods for making Chicken Soup. My grandmother always used an old stewing hen. Godshall’s in the Reading Terminal Market often carries them so I may give it a try. I usually make Chicken Soup using a cut-up chicken, with extra bones, or the carcass from a big roaster or capon. Capon stock is mighty rich.
I always use a mix of packaged stock and cold water. If you are kosher, you can find packaged chicken stock in specialty stores, particularly those which feature a large kosher inventory. Diced onions, celery, carrots and a leek are always in the pot. A parsnip adds a bit of sweetness. Be careful not to over do it on the carrots. Like parsnips, they, too, are sweet.
Fresh chopped dill and Italian parsley are a must. So is kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. If you use a kosher chicken, go easy on the salt. Empire is the brand I like best.
When I was a little girl, I loved the Mandlen or soup nuts, my grandmother floated in her Chicken Soup at serving time. Mandlen is Yiddish for almonds and refers to their shape. I found a recipe in “The Book of Jewish Food” by Claudia Roden. If you buy just one Jewish cookbook, this is the one. It was named Cookbook of the Year in 1997 by the James Beard Foundation.
I never met anyone who does not love Potato Kugel. It goes well with roast beef or turkey, chicken and capon. The recipe is also from Roden’s book.
Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
1 leek, washed and sliced
2 small carrots, peeled and chopped
4 ribs of celery, chopped
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped, optional
14-pound chicken, cut into eight pieces
4 chicken breast bones
1 32-ounce package of chicken stock
3 cups of cold water
Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
1 large handful of dill, snipped with scissors
1 large handful of Italian parsley, snipped with scissors
Directions:
Place the vegetables on the bottom of a 5-quart pot. Lay the chicken on top of the vegetables. Add remaining ingredients, except for the herbs. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 45 minutes, or until the carrots are just tender. Add the herbs and blend.
Gently reheat the soup before serving.
Serves six to eight.
Ingredients:
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1. Anonymous said... on Sep 29, 2011 at 12:47PM
“Phyliss
I think you skipped a few steps here. (for anyone who has never made chicken soup)
Skim the top of the broth for fat while boiling.
Remove the whole chicken and shred the meat and disgard the bones
Add pasta or mazto balls”