Jewish Chicken Soup and "Computerpherous Angie"

COOKINGWITHMAVIS  # 4    ‘Jewish Chicken Soup’…

           “Computerpherous  Angie”

There’re  ‘Those ’ who are born to understand computers….

….and there are ‘Those ’ that aren’t !

Then, there’re ‘Those’  who cook like a dream….

…and there are ‘Those ’ who can’t !

And then of course, there are ‘ Those ’  who can improvise a meal with whatever’s in the fridge…..

…and there are ‘ Those ’  who haven’t a bloody clue !

‘My’ Angie  is a computer boffin…it just comes to her naturally…wellllllll?, perhaps she is of that generation BORN  into Computerism?   She is just naturally ‘computerpherous’!

 Over the years of working in the same environment, she has displayed ammmmmmmmmazing patience with ‘them-that’s-not-so-sure-in-correcting-blips’ .

She’s creative, and resourceful and sohh TENACIOUS….…and moody…. and occasionally whinges…..but dont we all?    And, Angie is Angie! – and I wouldn’t want her any other way! 

In the process of beginning my blog, I bounced some early bumfph off her and Clora … ( now, THAT’S  another story! )…Me  only to be cajoled into continuing - for all of you!

It is Angie  who so enthusiastically burst into my office in the depths of our PseudoTudorAlmostGothic Victorian house that is our place-of-work – volunteering to design ’Mavis’s  blog!.  

It too, is thanks to Angie  that we have this super graphics image  - she a-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y understood who ‘Cookingwithmavis’  is !

.  Just to be sure - for those of you who didn’t “get ” it  :  

Angie  is the brains behind coping with computers…and what not she can, she calls upon boyfriend Nick, to do, who gallantly comes to her rescue. And boy-oh-boy  – does Nick have contacts with-in the computer world!   

ANYTHING  that costs a bloodyfortune at that ‘ Improbable Connecting ’ store, Nick’s friends charge ½  the amount, not being greedy, and give super service – not just  servicing ’Cookingwithmavis’ !

…..it is not to say that Angie  can’t cook!

                …... &g&g&g&g& …...

And so to recipes…

My Economical Jewish LEAN Chicken soup……

It’s  a-m-a-a-z-ing,  “Doll ”, what one can do with a couple of breasts!

Now –don’t go there…thoughts back to food - and cooking, please…yes!..that’s better…want to read more?...

This chicken soup is not your usual JewishChickenSoup (which is mind-blowingly delicious too) –that’s another story …..but this, …THIS, …yes, THIS also, is delicious too...

I cook my soup in a pressure cooker- once it has reached boiling, for 1 hour more.

This knocks the oomph out of all the chicken bones and skin, and onion skins too, giving it the utmost flavour…. BUT you can do so in a normal pot, once reached the boil…simmer gently perhaps for 2 hours more.

*** What is great about this soup:-

No need for absolute accurate quantities…I am giving you a guideline for the basics…so godforbid you choose to use 17 stalks of parsley, instead of 11..that’s fine!

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts    - on the bone WITH the skin

6 stalks ‘soup celery’    - that’s the leaves ( – so, economically,  I always buy salad celery, and just use the leafy  top section of the stalks for my soups )

A handful (+/- 1/2 cup) rinsed parsley   – stalks-and-all

1 very large (or 2 medium) onions   -  with skin on

2 large carrots

2 large potatoes  –  peeled and cubed

 ½ a medium butternut   – peeled and cubed (you’ll use the rest of it sometime, cooked with cinnamon and butter and brown sugar, as a veggie)

2 teaspoon turmeric ( “Borrie”)

‘Kosher’ (Coarse)salt to taste  (I’d use +/-1 tablespoon)

2 Pig’s trotters (no-no-no!...only joking…no pig in Jewish soup!)

3 litres water   - if cooking in an ordinary pot

Or   +/-   2 litres water  -  if using a pressure cooker…as it is makes a more concentrated soup stock, which you can dilute later with extra boiling water, to taste.

Method…

1)      Have a large bowl of water next to your chopping board, to soak/rinse the veggies.

2)      Peel carrots, then slice into thick rounds

3)      Top and tail the onions (sparingly), and keep the skins on, and cut into 2 halves

4)      Wash the celery stalks

5)      Peel the potatoes, and cube roughly into bite-size pieces

6)       Peel and cube the butternut into bite-size pieces- you’ll know you soup is good when that butternut disintegrates into the soup!

7)      Into a pot of water, put in all the ingredients

8)      Bring to the boil with lid on  -sometimes you may have to skim off some gungy froth from the chicken before it comes to the boil…sometimes not!

9)      Once boiling, leave to simmer gently for at least 1 ½ hours on very low heat.

10)  Remember, if using a pressure cooker, just keep that pressure going for about an hour!

And so……..

The finished product:

I hate to waste, so every item that needs to be removed from the pot of soup when cooked, I drain in a colander, and squeeze the most I can out of it, into a waiting bowl below.

Note that there WILL be a thin film of fat on the top..we’ll get rid of that, don’t worry…

1)      Remove the parsley, celery, onion skins…and the chicken and skin and all bones (as this chicken , by now, will be so dead and dry -  really not great to munch on…all flavour is in the soup)

2)      A choice! :  I usually keep the rest of the veggies ‘as is’, in the soup and serve it as a thin broth…

3)      BUT ‘Late Sonja ’  used to blend it all into a thickish golden soup.

4)      Leave to cool completely, and pour into a container for the fridge –dont cover until cold!...it will go sour if you do so!

5)      Place a sheet of Gladwrap (clingfilm) gently onto the surface, to collect the fat, remove carefully

6)      Put into the fridge –and leave to chill - usually overnight

7)      Any fat will congeal into hard bits = easy to remove with a spoon.

8)      Voila!  Now ready to heat ‘n eat! Delicious lean healthy Jewish chicken soup-on a budget!

This should remain fresh for 5 days…

I decant 2 portions into individual ZIPLOC small freezer bags…and freeze them.

Easy and quick to take out on a whim, and small amounts defrost quickly!

MMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm………….

                                          Ingredients for lean chicken soup

                                           Pot of lean chicken soup

             Food for angels :Wonderful ,aromatic ,chicken soup!


‘COOKINGWITHMAVIS ‘