Jewish Penicillin

There is one thing and one thing ONLY that can make a cold go away quickly.

It can’t be purchased at any normal store, nor is it a quick fix… but I promise. It works.

It’s something that goes back generations, and I can guarantee you that most Jewish women have a pot that’s specifically designed to make their “penicillin”.

This, my friends, is Jewish Penicillin… a.k.a. chicken soup. Preferably with matzo balls. Definitely with chunks of carrot and stewed chicken.

The recipe is pretty standard, and varies from family to family. Adam grew up eating chicken soup with rice. I grew up with chicken soup with egg noodles and/or matzo balls and/or rice. The constant was the rich-tasting broth, the sweet carrots, and shredded chicken.

When Adam told me he had a cold, I knew I had to do one thing: make chicken soup.

Jewish Penicillin a.k.a. Chicken Soup

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
• 2 onions, quartered
• 5-6 carrots, cut into chunks
• 3 stalks celery with leaves, cut into chunks
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp. salt
• water to cover

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a large pot over medium heat. When the liquid comes to a simmer, reduce the heat so it’s barely bubbling. Skim the “muck” off the top of the pot, and periodically skim the fat off the broth. Do not let the broth boil. Place a colander in another pot or bowl, and drain the broth. Once cooled, shred the stewed chicken and separate out the carrots. Serve with matzo balls (recipe below), a handful of chicken and some carrots. Add a sprinkle of dill and enjoy!

Matzo Balls

From JewishMag.com

Ingredients

• 4 eggs, slightly beaten
• 4 Tb. oil
• 4 Tb. ice cold water
• 1 c. matzo meal
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well. After mixing refrigerate for one hour covered in the refrigerator.

Fill a large pot with 8 cups of water and one teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil. The matza balls will expand in the pot as they cook, so choose a large pot to allow for expansion. After the water comes to a boil, reduce the flame to low. Take the mixture out from the refrigerator and in your hand gently make the balls. Make sure that your hands are wet before proceeding to make the balls. Slowly add the newly formed balls to the hot water.

Cook for thirty minutes, then turn off fire, but keep the pot covered and let it cool for another ten minutes. Add to the broth a few minutes before serving.

The best part (besides the soup of course) about making matzo ball soup is the leftovers. The chicken and carrots are kept separate from the broth, and the matzo balls are kept separate from those. So the leftovers ROCK. One of my favorite lunches growing up was a bag of stewed chicken with a tiny cup of mayo for dipping. And the best breakfast ever? Butter-fried matzo balls (not the ones from the soup) with cottage cheese and apricot preserves.

Try it. Seriously.

Tagged as: chicken, chicken/turkey, dinner, family recipe, Jewish food, soup