Chicken soup is a staple of every Jewish home. When making your soup, use a big, fatty chicken and lots and lots of vegetables. That makes the flavor. Try not to serve soup the day it is made. After a day in the refrigerator, the flavors will deepen. Lift off the chicken fat that has risen on top, heat the remaining broth and add freshly snipped herbs, matzoh balls, or pieces of chicken.
Save the chicken fat you lift off the soup. Freeze it or use it as the fat in your matzoh balls for a flavorful dish. And, if you can't finish all of the soup, put the leftover soup in quart containers and store in the freezer as a base for future dishes.
Ingredients
4 ½-pound fresh chicken, cut into quarters
Kosher salt, to taste
12 black peppercorns
2 large, fresh carrots, peeled and cut into thirds
3 stalks celery, including leaves, cut into thirds
1 large peeled onion, whole
1 large or two small leeks, cleaned, dark green parts cut and tossed
2 parsnips, peeled
¼ celery root, peeled
Small bunch each flat-leaf parsley and dill, tied with butcher's string + more for garnish
Preparation
Wash and clean chicken thoroughly. Place chicken, salt and peppercorns in bottom of 8-quart soup pot. Cover with cold water until pot is ¾ of the way full.
Cook chicken on low boil. Skim foam/fat that forms on top. After 20 minutes, add vegetables except for parsley and dill.
Cook on low, gentle boil for 1½ hours. In the last 20 minutes, add parsley and dill to the pot.
Remove from heat and cover. Allow it to cool somewhat before placing in the refrigerator. The following day, remove the fat that has formed atop the soup. Toss the cooked onions, leeks, parsnip, celery root, celery, parsley and dill.
Heat and place in bowls. Add snipped fresh dill and parsley, a piece of boiled chicken, and a couple of slices of cooked carrot to each soup bowl.
Yield: 12
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