Jewish Chicken Soup

This morning I'll talk about chicken soup for the wallet and chicken soup for the pot. First the wallet; the stock market is indeed showing signs of a little recovery this weekend. Without getting too technical, several of my indicators are pointing to a rally. This is despite the lead story in the NY Times talking about deflation.


And now the pot; If you have only experienced chicken soup from a can, or some oversalted crud in a restaurant, you are in for a treat. I have wonderful memories of the aromas wafting from my mother's kitchen before the Jewish holidays when she would prepare delectable homemade meals beginning with chicken soup and knaidlach (dumplings). I would like to share these pleasures with you.

Whenever I cut up a chicken, I reserve the back, neck, wing tips and gizzards and whenever I finish a piece of Parmigiano-Reggiano, I save the rind and freeze both of them for the next soup.

3 pounds chicken pieces
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme
12 peppercorns
2 ribs celery
2 onions with whole cloves stuck in them
3 small carrots, in chunks
2 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
6 sprigs parsley
1 turnip, cut into chunks
1 parmigiano-Reggiano rind
1 T. salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
10 cups water

Combine chicken parts, celery, onion,carrots in a roasting pan with a little salt and pepper and drizzle of olive oil. Cook at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Transfer roasted ingredients and all other ingredients to a large stockpot with 10 cups of water, so that chicken and other ingredients are covered.

Place pan over moderate heat and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam or scum with a large spoon. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for about 3 hours. If water evaporates and chicken is uncovered, top off with a little boiling water.

Remove solids and strain soup through a sieve. You can continue to simmer soup for a few hours to intensify the soup's flavor.

Taste the soup and adjust seasonings. If you were too generous with salt, don't get frantic, add cut raw potatoes and discard once they have cooked and absorbed the salt.