Read Online The Second Avenue Deli Cookbook by Sharon Lebewohl - Free Book Online
Authors: Sharon Lebewohl
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carrot, chopped into ¼-inch pieces
¾ cup celery, chopped into ¼-inch pieces
1 cup parsnip, chopped into ¼-inch pieces
1 tablespoon finely chopped or crushed fresh garlic
Salt (the amount will depend on how much salt is in the chicken stock you use; if itâs salty, you may not need any)
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
1. Boil dried lima beans in water to cover for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat, and leave beans soaking in the water for 1 hour. Alternatively, you can soak them overnight.
2. Place chicken soup and lima beans in a large stockpot. Bring to a rapid boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Add onions, carrots, celery, and parsnips to the pot; cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Add garlic, salt (only if needed), and pepper, and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Place cornstarch in a bowl, and add 2 tablespoons cold water, one at a time, stirring until smooth and all cornstarch is dissolved. Add 1 cup soup liquid, a little at a time, and stir until smooth. Bring soup to a boil. Add cornstarch mixture to soup, and, stirring constantly, boil for 2 minutes.
A Chicken Soup in Every Pot
So many people contributed chicken soup recipes to our book that we created this special chicken soup section for them. Not all of these recipes are Jewish; they run the gamut from Moroccan to Puerto Rican versions.
As hot dogs and apple pie typify American food, chicken soup is the glorious sine qua non of Jewish cuisine â¦Â both in itself and as the underpinning for many traditional recipes. Known as the âJewish penicillinâ (Moses Maimonides, Spanish philosopher and physician, touted its healing powers as far back as the twelfth century, even claiming it was âbeneficial in leprosyâ), a worthy chicken soup with matzo balls is said to cure colds and other respiratory ailments. At the very least, its inherent motherly comfort will cheer you up.
Chicken soup sets a warm gemütlich tone for holiday meals, and, forsymbolic as well as culinary reasons, it has been the standard first course at Jewish weddings for centuries; its golden color suggests prosperity, and chickens (like their eggs) are fertility symbols. In the shtetls of Eastern Europe, weddings usually took place on Friday afternoons, out of doors, in front of the synagogue. The entire town would attend; there would be musicians, dancing, and platters piled high with food. After the ceremony, the groom would âsay
drash
â (show off his knowledge of the Torah) at the Friday-night service. Then the bride and groom were taken to a private room and fed an especially nourishing chicken soup. Prepared by the brideâs family, it was replete with the chickenâs unlaid eggs, and rings of fat (like golden coins) floated on the surface.
Jewish storyteller Roz Perry told us a family tale about this Old World custom. The day before her parentsâ wedding, Rozâs maternal grandfather, Mordecai, went to the market to purchase a chicken for the postnuptial ritual. A lifelong tightwad, he couldnât bring himself to spend a lot of money for a big, plump bird. When he returned home with a scrawny chickenâthe kind on which the family habitually dinedâRozâs grandmother, Rifka-Ruchel, rained curses on him for bringing home such an ill-fed fowl for the momentous occasion. Intense and relentless bickering ensued. Finallyâfor the sake of family peace and his daughterâs future happinessâMordecai returned to the market and exchanged the bony bird for a nice fat hen. Unfortunately, when Rozâs parents were served the soup, her mother, unaccustomed to the luxury of rich food, found it revoltingly fatty and gagged on it. However, she forced it down, and it worked its magic; Rozâs parents went on to have a fruitful and prosperous life in America.
Chicken Soup
SERVES 8
1 pound chicken parts
2 stalks celery, including leafy tops, cut
¾ cup celery, chopped into ¼-inch pieces
1 cup parsnip, chopped into ¼-inch pieces
1 tablespoon finely chopped or crushed fresh garlic
Salt (the amount will depend on how much salt is in the chicken stock you use; if itâs salty, you may not need any)
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
1. Boil dried lima beans in water to cover for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat, and leave beans soaking in the water for 1 hour. Alternatively, you can soak them overnight.
2. Place chicken soup and lima beans in a large stockpot. Bring to a rapid boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Add onions, carrots, celery, and parsnips to the pot; cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Add garlic, salt (only if needed), and pepper, and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Place cornstarch in a bowl, and add 2 tablespoons cold water, one at a time, stirring until smooth and all cornstarch is dissolved. Add 1 cup soup liquid, a little at a time, and stir until smooth. Bring soup to a boil. Add cornstarch mixture to soup, and, stirring constantly, boil for 2 minutes.
A Chicken Soup in Every Pot
So many people contributed chicken soup recipes to our book that we created this special chicken soup section for them. Not all of these recipes are Jewish; they run the gamut from Moroccan to Puerto Rican versions.
As hot dogs and apple pie typify American food, chicken soup is the glorious sine qua non of Jewish cuisine â¦Â both in itself and as the underpinning for many traditional recipes. Known as the âJewish penicillinâ (Moses Maimonides, Spanish philosopher and physician, touted its healing powers as far back as the twelfth century, even claiming it was âbeneficial in leprosyâ), a worthy chicken soup with matzo balls is said to cure colds and other respiratory ailments. At the very least, its inherent motherly comfort will cheer you up.
Chicken soup sets a warm gemütlich tone for holiday meals, and, forsymbolic as well as culinary reasons, it has been the standard first course at Jewish weddings for centuries; its golden color suggests prosperity, and chickens (like their eggs) are fertility symbols. In the shtetls of Eastern Europe, weddings usually took place on Friday afternoons, out of doors, in front of the synagogue. The entire town would attend; there would be musicians, dancing, and platters piled high with food. After the ceremony, the groom would âsay
drash
â (show off his knowledge of the Torah) at the Friday-night service. Then the bride and groom were taken to a private room and fed an especially nourishing chicken soup. Prepared by the brideâs family, it was replete with the chickenâs unlaid eggs, and rings of fat (like golden coins) floated on the surface.
Jewish storyteller Roz Perry told us a family tale about this Old World custom. The day before her parentsâ wedding, Rozâs maternal grandfather, Mordecai, went to the market to purchase a chicken for the postnuptial ritual. A lifelong tightwad, he couldnât bring himself to spend a lot of money for a big, plump bird. When he returned home with a scrawny chickenâthe kind on which the family habitually dinedâRozâs grandmother, Rifka-Ruchel, rained curses on him for bringing home such an ill-fed fowl for the momentous occasion. Intense and relentless bickering ensued. Finallyâfor the sake of family peace and his daughterâs future happinessâMordecai returned to the market and exchanged the bony bird for a nice fat hen. Unfortunately, when Rozâs parents were served the soup, her mother, unaccustomed to the luxury of rich food, found it revoltingly fatty and gagged on it. However, she forced it down, and it worked its magic; Rozâs parents went on to have a fruitful and prosperous life in America.
Chicken Soup
SERVES 8
1 pound chicken parts
2 stalks celery, including leafy tops, cut
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