As my mom says, it's a chore, but it'll be worth it! And it's not difficult to make, it just takes time. On day one, veggies and chicken are simmered for three hours. Then the veggies and chicken are taken out, the soup is strained, and everything is left to cool. Then comes the most fun part which is pulling the cooked chicken off the carcass. My mom loves doing it, but when I was little I thought it was the grossest thing in the world to watch. But now I realize that there's nothing like sitting down in front of the TV and dissecting some chicken soup chicken. Finally, the broth is covered and left in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning the fat will have congealed and can be skimmed off the surface. Matzo balls can be made and all can be served right away or frozen.
The recipe I always use is from a gchat with my mom from 2007 (she's called Jud here since she shares an email address with my dad). I had just graduated college and really didn't know much about cooking. I can't remember if someone was sick or maybe I just wanted a taste of home. It's a bit unconventional, but I think it's as good a format for a recipe as any. The recipe my mom uses is handwritten on an index card by my Grandma Arlene, who had very nice handwriting. Maybe gchatted recipes from old relatives will be heirlooms someday. Following the soup recipe is a more recent gchat for the matzo balls.
My mom usually saves the chicken for stir fries or other recipes and serves the soup with just matzo balls and carrots on Passover, with tiny egg noodles added on Rosh Hashanah. I think that soup with chicken, noodles, and carrots is a good meal without matzo balls (hence the picture without a matzo ball). Or you could do matzo balls, noodles, and carrots. Or any other combination! Even with rice! Don't get too crazy though, this recipe is truly simply perfect just the way it is.
INGREDIENTS:
1 chicken cut into 8 pieces
1 onion
2 stalks celery
1 pound carrots
1 bunch parsley
Salt and pepper
Egg noodles
DIRECTIONS:
Jud: so you take 4 quarts of cold water
put it in a big pot
1:46 PM wash off the chicken, dump it in
bring to a big boil
scummy stuff will form on top
skim the scum off and throw is away
while that was coming to a boil, you were preparing the other ingredients
1:47 PM put in the peeled whole onion,
two stalks of celery, ends trimmed
me: right after it comes to a boil?
Jud: boil, skim, then put stuff in
the chicken was already in
me: got it
Jud: leave it
1:48 PM at least 3 carrots, peeled, ends trimmed off
up to one pound of carrots, if you like
a whole bunch of parsley, washed
me: wait leave it how long?
Jud: or a handful of dried
salt and pepper
then bring back to full boil
1:49 PM then reduce to low heat, cover
and cook at low boil for 3 hours
me: oh oh i got it
Jud: you can cool it all the pot, or you can take out everything,
1:50 PM strain the soup, and cool things separately
either way, after it's cooled, you can take off the fat that's congealed on the top
that's it
me: questions
if my pot isnt big enough can i make it in two littler ones
Jud: sure
1:51 PM me: the stuff strained from the soup....can i eat all of it?
Jud: you could, but i don't
i just rinse off the carrots and keep them
and throw the rest away
my mom used to serve the celery in the soup
me: what about the chicken?
Jud: oh -- that you keep!
1:52 PM me: i just pick off what looks ummy?
Jud: I take the meat off the bones, the skin off the meat
me: ok im gonna go give it a shot
Jud: it's a bit of a chore
it'll be worth it -- delish!
me: thanks!
1:55 PM still there?
1:56 PM my biggest pot is 6 quarts
should i make two pots
1:57 PM i think yes
MATZO BALLS:
2:18 PM Jud: i have never frozen them, but i know people who do. they freeze them separately on a tray, then bag them up, so they don't stick together.
| 5 minutes |
2:27 PM Jud: ok. i am taking this from the stained index card, written by your Grandma Arlene, in her handwriting, which was always very nice. I also have, I think a copy that you wrote over for me as a present along with some other recipes, when you were much younger. They had cute misspellings, like "sweetish" meatballs, instead of Swedish.
Anyway, to the matzo balls (GA's spelling)
4 eggs -- large, not XL or JUMBO
1/2 C cold water
2:28 PM 1 C matzo meal
1/2 C oil (i always use peanut oil, but you could use another veggie oil)
2:29 PM Jud: 1 tsp salt
dash pepper
2:30 PM Beat eggs well -- add water, o il, salt and pepper. Add meal last. Don't mix it up more than you have to. GA says let stand 20 minutes or longer in the refrigerator. I sometimes even do it the day before and let it sit overnight. If the mixture cannot be formed into balls at this point, add more matzo meal.
2:31 PM Form balls and drop into rapidly boiling water. Cover pot and cook on low for 45 minutes. This part is underlined and all caps in GA's recipe: DO NOT REMOVE POT COVER
the end
me: thanks!
this will make pj very happy
:)
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. The format is priceless!
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