Jewish Style Rescue Remedy

Here is a fantastic winter, soul warming Chicken Soup recipe Kate sent through. I tried it out yesterday. It's pretty intense - so all you vegetarians out there.... you might like to skip this entry.


Jewish Legend has it that their Chicken Broth can cure all types of ills.

Real Chicken Soup
(the Jewish Rescue Remedy)
As taught to me by my girlfirend, and with her Mum's tips
Take lots of bony raw chicken.. Almost fill your soup saucepan, or largest pot, with wings (maybe 8?).. these are good, cheap and filled with gelatin, necks (4?) excellent, perhaps a carcass (1?) and legs or thighs ( 3 or 4 of each? All depending on the size of your saucepan.)

Note: If you definitely just want a broth with no meat then don't worry about the thighs or any meaty pieces as you will be throwing all this away. Lately I have been including them however, as I am preferring a little meat and vegetables in my final soup. I think it is more traditional to just serve the golden broth with a few noodles dancing around under the cracked pepper which is also delicious and simple.
Also note, that I like to use free range or the chemically free chickens.

Give the chicken one rinse of cold water and roughly drain. Add to the pot a couple of peeled large carrots, perhaps cut in half, a turnip or two, 2 onions cut in half and a generous handful of parsley. My girlfiend's Mother told me that adding several garlic cloves was a deviation so I guess that makes me one. A deviate that is!

Cover the lot with enough cold water.

This next step, if done properly, makes all the difference to your soup. Is it just going to be an ordinary brown soup or a perfect golden Chicken Soup that will impress your Mother in Law, especially if she's Jewish?

Bring to the boil, standing there, waiting and armed with a dessert spoon or if you have one, a small sieve and saucer. As the soup gets hotter and boils through all the meat and vegetables, you will find that a brown scum starts bubbling to the surface. As it accumulates at the edges of the saucepan, you need to scoop it out bit by bit. The more patient you are, the more golden the soup.. it should take under 10 minutes to ensure that the soup is clear.

Reduce heat to low and let the whole pot simmer for at least, a few hours.

Once you think you have cooked it enough.. instinct really.. remove from heat and let cool a little. I take the pot over near the sink as this step can be messy and leave you up to your armpits in chicken fat if you don't take care. Remove and thow away the bones and place each piece of meat and veg that you are keeping for serving, in a bowl. Cover these pieces and place in fridge. Thow away the onions and parsly.

Strain the broth, as finely as possible, into a large bowl or plastic storage container. Keep in fridge overnight.

In the morning you should find that your soup is a a big jelly, a wonderful authentic and healty stock. Scrape off most of the fat which will have formed on the top.

Chop up the meat, and the vegetables into cubes and place in a saucepan. Add the jelly broth, sometimes 1 stockcube.. I like the kosher Massel brand and more salt and pepper. (I find it needs a good amount of salt.) Also if you're only serving a few people I would suggest only putting half the soup out and freezing the other straight from the fridge. Bring to hot.

When serving you can add some noodles already cooked (fine soup ones in kohser section of supermarket,) to the bowl, before the soup. If you add to pot they will go soggy very quickly and ruin whats left over in the pot. Also look out for Niblets.. in same part of supermarket.. delicious crunchy crutons! Could also serve with chopped parsley. Mmmm..

Good luck and I hope this keeps you healthy and robust this winter x x x