Chicken Soup

When I was young, my mum would make chicken soup every Friday night. I am not sure if mum used to cook other things; chicken is however the meal that is most lodged in my memory and my heart.

I don’t remember ever being taught how to make it, I think I worked it out from watching my mum and later reading Evelyn Rose. I was first placed into position of main chicken soup maker when I was about 16.

Since then, over the years, I have made the soup on and off; it is now my family’s favourite, although the kiddies aren’t that keen on having rice together with knidels.

Here is how I do it…

Buy one chicken, ideally not too big and preferably free-range – if you can get giblets – neck and pupick, all the better.

Put chicken in a pot, cover with boiling water.

Add one whole onion and one chopped onion.

Cut-up and dice three or four carrots and three or four celery sticks.

Add salt & pepper and parsley.

Dissolve a chicken stock-cube in water and add.

It takes a couple of hours to cook, turning the chicken over a few times during the process; the Friday night-shtetl smell starts to appear after about half an hour.

Halfway through the cooking, take a quarter bag of Rakusen’s Matza Meal (ideally fine), mix it with half a cup of cold water, salt and pepper and an egg and roll into balls; add the balls – kindels, to the soup and allow them to cook and absorb the flavours.

Boil a couple of cups of rice and drain;

Allow the chicken soup to stand for a couple of hours before re-heating, serve with the rice, and the knidels in a bowl. Ideally have challah to hand.

You can also add chicken to the soup bowl if you want to have it as a complete meal, or remove the chicken from the soup and roast, although as to whether that is successful is very dependent on the constitution of your chicken – I think tougher, older birds are best for that!

Leave the leftover soup over night and bring to the boil again the next day, when it always tastes better.

Bon appetite!

Tonight’s dinner…