Denise says:
Chicken soup on a Friday night in many Ashkenazi households is all part of the ritual and almost expected as part of the meal. Each family has their own special recipe which is passed down from one generation to the next. I like to add the onion with the skin on to give it extra flavour and colour!
The basis of good soup relies on a good stock and that is why I put a great combination of vegetables into my chicken soup,
which produces an excellent flavour. The more ingredients in soup, the longer it needs to cook so about 3 hours simmering is
required to break down the different vegetables that combine with the boiling chicken and extra carcass. As you need to refrigerate the soup overnight, Thursday is the day to buy the fresh poultry so if you are planning to have roast chicken on Friday night buy the roaster and remove the giblets and add those to the soup too. The quantity is generous, as frequently the request for 'seconds' needs to be catered for. I try to encourage my children to have some of the vegetables, as with many young people today, they are not the favourite on the menu. I transform the carrots into flower shapes by using a knife to remove some carrot slithers at 1 inch intervals lengthways. I then cut horizontally to produce more enticing carrots that sit very prettily in the soup. Regular skimming helps to keep the soup clear and I suggest that this done often throughout the 3
hours.
Must be prepared in advance
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 3 hours plus overnight refrigeration
Will freeze
Serves 12-15
Ingredients:
1/2 boiler chicken (fowl) including eggs– cut into portions1 chicken carcass and the giblets
2 turkey necks – cut into small pieces
6 litres (10 ½ pints) of water
4 tablespoons or 3 cubes– chicken stock powder
4 carrots – peeled and sliced
5 sticks celery – sliced
2 parsnips – peeled and sliced into large pieces
2 turnips – peeled and sliced
2 onions – cut in half (keep the skin on)
2 small tomatoes – cut in half
2 tablespoons – salt
3 bayleaves – fresh or dried
3 peppercorns
1 swede peeled and sliced
Method
1) Place the raw boiling chicken, carcass, giblets and turkey necks into a large and deep saucepan.2) Add all the remaining ingredients.
3) Add the water, bring to the boil and then simmer for 3 hours.
4) Skim off the fat from time to time.
5) Allow to cool before straining the soup from the vegetables. Add a selection of vegetables that are still intact. Remove the chicken and either use it for another meal (see suggestions next week) or shred it into fine pieces and add to the soup. Leaving it in the soup allows the chicken flavours to continue to infuse. Some soups benefit from time and this is one of them. The simpler the soup ie. soups with few ingredients, the better they are eaten fresh but a soup like chicken actually improves with time – (a
maximum of 3 days before deterioration starts to take place!)
6) Refrigerate preferably overnight. Remove the fat from the top and use to make knaideleich or on top of the chicken/ potatoes for the roast that night.
7) Reheat until it starts to boil.
To serve the stylish way: Add a selection of vegetables to each bowl and sprinkle some croutons on top or add some knadeleich and lockshen to a generous helping of piping hot soup!