Posted on 24th March 2010 by Sis. Nicole in Chicken Stews | Jewish
ashkenazi, barley, beans, chamin, chicken gizzard, cholent, choolnt, chulent, chulnt, gizzard, Jewish, polish, pupik, shabbat, stew
Cholent (pronounced “choolnt”) is a traditional slow cooked Jewish stew for Shabbat (the Sabbath). Because no fires are to be lit during Shabbat, which lasts from Friday evening until Saturday evening, it begins cooking on Friday afternoon, and allowed to cook in the oven or slow cooker until Saturday. Preparation starts on Thursday night though. It is similar to a slow cooked chili, but the ingredients are according to Jewish ethnic tastes. This recipe should be made in a large slow cooker or cooking pot on low heat.
You will need:
- 1 1/2 kg. chicken gizzards
- 1 dozen small or medium eggs
- 1/2 kg. white beans
- 6 large to 9 small potatoes
- 3 large carrots
- 1 large onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 cup barley
- 1 tablespoon gray salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika (sweet or hot depending on your tastes)
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- a pinch of fenugreek
Instructions:
- The night before, roast your barley by stirring it in a hot pan until parts of it are golden brown.
- Then rinse the barley, and allow it to soak in a pot of water overnight.
- Check, rinse, and soak the beans as well.
- Let the pupik (gizzards) thaw in the refrigerator.
- The next day, rinse and then pre boil the pupiks for 15 minutes.
- While that is going, chop your vegetables, and have them ready.
- Drain and rinse the beans and barley as well.
- Wash the eggs with vinegar and rinse them with water.
- Rinse the pupiks in cold water, and clean off any residue or clumps of fat. Also be sure to remove any of the stomach pockets that might not have gotten cut off before.
- Cut the pupiks into individual units, and arrange them at the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle the onions, garlic, salt, pepper, and spices over the meat.
- Spread the beans over the meat, and then the barley.
- Arrange the eggs around the sides of the pot.
- Add the potatoes and carrots starting from the middle.
- Pour enough water over it all to cover it plus a couple of centimeters if there’s room.
- Cover, and turn the heat setting to High.
- When it begins to boil a little, turn the heat setting down to low, and go enjoy your Friday evening.
- The next morning, check to make sure there is still enough moisture covering all of the stew. If there isn’t, then add more boiling water.
- Let it continue cooking until lunch time.
Serve it by first taking out one of the eggs, and peeling it. Then put some of the stew into a bowl, and put the egg on the side. The idea is for the person to smash up the egg and mix it with their cholent. Different people have different ways though.
This is a nice stew to have with nice, crusty country bread.
Posted on 17th March 2010 by Sis. Nicole in Chicken Soup Recipes | Jewish
adif, israeli recipes, kneidle soup, kneidles soup, marak adif, matza, matza ball, matza ball soup, matzo, matzo ball, matzo ball soup, passover, passover recipes, pesach, pesach recipes, vita, vita chicken soup powder
Passover (Pesach) is a special time of year. It’s one of the most important holidays for Jewish people, and a time when others can thank God for their freedom from slavery and pray for the release of those who still live in bondage.
A favorite dish for this holiday is matzo ball soup. Matzot are the special unleavened bread that, according to the Bible, the Jewish people were instructed to make because they would have to get ready to leave Egypt in a hurry. There was no time to let bread rise. Matzo balls are often made from matzo meal, which are crushed matzot. Some people used soaked matzot rather than matzo meal. This recipe uses the meal.
For the matzo balls, you will need:
- 2 cups matzo meal
- 1 tsp. baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate)
- 1 tsp. citric acid (lemon salts)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon schmaltz or palm kernel oil
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup cold water
For the soup, you will need:
- 2 liters of water
- 3-4 tablespoons kosher chicken soup powder, preferably Vita from Israel
- Alternatively, you can use 2 liters of chicken soup made from scratch instead.
Instructions:
- Mix the dry ingredients for the matzo balls in a large bowl.
- Cut in the schmaltz until it is crumbly without too many large clumps.
- Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, and then beat the water into them.
- Add them to the dry ingredients. You may need to smash it with your fingers.
- You should have something that’s about the texture of a very heavy biscuit dough. If not, add a little more water at a time until you do.
- Cover the matzo ball dough with plastic wrap, and let it set in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
- Prepare your soup by mixing the powder with the water, and bring it to a good rolling boil.
- Take your matzo ball dough out, and have it ready. Also get a bowl of water to set next to it.
- Wet your hands so that the dough doesn’t stick to them, and begin rolling balls and dropping them into the soup. The balls should be about the size of a large marble. It helps if you can do more than one at a time, and get the help of another person.
- When you run out of dough, cover the pot, and turn the heat down to low.
- Let it simmer for an hour and a half to two hours.
Serve them hot.
Posted on 11th March 2010 by Sis. Nicole in Chicken Soup Recipes
chicken soup in less than an hour, Chicken Soup Recipes, easy, easy chicken soup, fast, fast and easy chicken soup, fast chicken soup, thermos
So, your friend has called saying they have the flu, and you know they can’t cook. What do you do? Here’s a recipe for one hot thermos of chicken soup that you can prepare in less than half an hour.
You will need:
- 1 boneless chicken breast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
- 1 tablespoon Vegeta or Mivina stock powder
- 1 liter of hot water
Instructions:
- Chop the chicken breast, onion, and garlic.
- In a large sauce pan, heat the olive oil, and then saute the chicken and onions together until the onions are clear.
- Then add the garlic, and toss this for a few seconds.
- Then add the frozen vegetables, and saute them until they’re thawed well.
- Add the parsley and the stock powder, and stir a little.
- Then add the water.
- Cover it and bring it to a boil. If you want to, at this point you can add about a cup of noodles or instant rice.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low, and let it cook for 20 minutes.
Pour it into a hot thermos, and take it to your friend!
Posted on 3rd March 2010 by Sis. Nicole in Powders | Product Reviews
mibiha, mivina, vegetable powder, vegetable stock powder
Mibiha Vegetable Seasoning with Greens and Spices and Chicken with Vegetables and Spices are wonderful additions to your soups if you’re looking for a vegetable stock powder with a more complex flavor than normal. It has a rich, herbed aroma that really brings out he flavor of your dishes.
I personally like the chicken version with short pasta. Add it to the recipe when you add the water.
Posted on 2nd March 2010 by Sis. Nicole in Powders | Product Reviews
powder, product reviews, reviews, soup powder, soup stock, soup stock powder, stock, stock powder, vegeta, vegeta natur, vegeta natural, vegetable stock
Podravka, makers of the famous Vegeta powder stock, have come out with a version that they say is more natural, and has more vegetables. The new Vegeta Natur uses 450 g. of fresh vegetables in every packet.
It’s good to see that they’ve come out with a more hearty product that people will probably find more tasty too. The only problem is that it’s not quite natural enough to rope in people who adhere to a very natural diet. The necessary changes would be very simple, but they were probably overlooked because natural diet information isn’t as widely published as calorie counting weight loss hype. So it’s an easy mistake to make, and correctable without major expensive changes to the formula.
The solution is to simply switch to a natural salt such as gray salt or Celtic salt, and natural unrefined palm sugar (true jaggery) instead of refined salt and sugar. The amount needed to season food well isn’t so extremely high, but it would still be about as much of a compromise as the original formula for natural diet adherents. A little bit goes a long way with Vegeta, but it would just be nice to have a truly more natural option.
Until there is though, for an occasional treat or special meal, nothing beats the taste of Vegeta. It’s an indulgence that I consider very much worth it to boost the flavor of my chicken soup, schnitzel, and rice. If you can find it in your area, you should try it.
Remember though, don’t let the salt content on the label fool you. It is much more powerful than salt because of the special combination of dried and concentrated vegetables they use. It takes much less Vegeta than salt to do the job of enhancing the flavor of a dish. It doesn’t have any MSG either, but the natural flavors give a nice kick without it.
If it’s not generally available in your area, try looking in an Eastern European specialty store. It’s a standard product that many in that region use, and considered a kind of “must have” in the kitchen.
Posted on 2nd March 2010 by Sis. Nicole in Chicken Soup Recipes
chicken stock, how to make chicken stock, stock
Chicken stock is a good basis for chicken soup, or a natural way to add flavor to a soup or a dish. It’s also a good way to use up leftover bones, scraps, and vegetable leftovers.
You will need:
- 1 kg. chicken carcass and scraps
- 1/2 kg. vegetable scraps such as onion skins, celery butts and leaves, carrot ends, etc.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 liters of water
Instructions:
- Break up the carcasss as best as you can, and also chop the vegetable scraps.
- Saute them in a large pot until some spots are somewhat golden brown, but not too burnt.
- Pour the water over it all, and bring it to a boil on high heat.
- Once it’s boiling well, turn the heat down to low, and let it simmer for 2 hours.
- Turn the heat off, and then strain out all the solid parts.
The liquid you’ll have left is stock.
If you have more time and patience, you’ll get an even better, more condensed result by reducing the liquid by about half. This will require continuing to simmer it with the cover off for another hour or so, stirring it occasionally.
Separare your stock into individual doses. Some people use small cups or ice trays.
Posted on 1st March 2010 by Sis. Nicole in Chicken Soup Recipes | Jewish
israeli, israeli recipes, Jewish, jewish penicillin, knorr, kosher, kosher chicken soup, medicinal, osem, powder soup, soup mix, soup powder, vita
This is how chicken soup is usually made in Israel. It isn’t particular to any specific ethnic group, and each cook has their own tweaks and tastes, but this is the standard.
You will need:
- 1 medium to large chicken
- 1.5 tablespoons olive oil
- About 3.5 liters of water
- 6 large potatoes, diced
- 3 large or 4-5 smaller carrots, diced
- 1.5 cups chopped celery with the leaves
- 1 large onion, chopped somewhat finely
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/8 cup chopped fresh parsley or 1 heaping teaspoon dry parsley
- 2 heaping tablespoons kosher chicken soup powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon hot paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
Instructions:
- Clean the chicken thoroughly, making sure any bits of liver are not clinging to the inside of the thighs, and there is none of any mucous like residue hiding in the corners of the butt fat.
- Heat the pot, and add the olive oil.
- Sear the chicken and sweat the onions at the same time.
- When the chicken has some golden places, and the onions are starting to be clear, add the garlic and parsley, and toss for a few seconds.
- Add the soup powder, herbs and spices, and right after, the water, and bring it to a boil on high heat.
- Once it’s boiling well, turn the heat down to about medium low, cover, and let it boil gently for about half an hour. Scrape off any scum that may form on the top.
- Take out the chicken, and pick off the meat. Give the bones and skin to your pets if it is safe for them.
- Tear the chicken meat into small, less than bite sized pieces, and put it back into the pot.
- Add the chopped potatoes, carrots, and celery, and bring it to a boil on high heat again.
- Once it’s boiling well, turn the heat down to low so that it is just boiling gently, and cover it again.
- Let it cook for an hour or up to 2 hours.
Serve it hot with some bread or crackers.
Posted on 25th February 2010 by Sis. Nicole in Links
amino acids, cysteine, healing, health, quercetin, vitamin a
How does chicken soup help to relieve cold symptoms? Find out at SixWise’s page on the health benefits of chicken soup, and which chemicals and nutrients in soup are helping you to suffer less.
Posted on 25th February 2010 by Sis. Nicole in Chicken Soup Recipes
hawaj, hawayij, legs soup, yemenite, yemenite soup
Legs soup is a well known and well loved Yemenite style of soup. What’s special about it is that it’s seasoned with a curry like special mix of herbs and spices called hawayij. Different people have different recipes for this, but it’s basically a mixture of black pepper, cardamon, saffron or tumeric, clove, ginger, and bay leaf. You can usually find it at a middle eastern store or the ethnic foods section of your local market.
This soup is often served with Yeminite pancakes called lachuch. You can have it with any kind of bread you like though.
You will need:
- 5 chicken leg quarters
- 1 large onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 5 large to 15 small potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters or halves
- 2 tablespoons soup hawayij
- 1 heaping teaspoon gray salt
- 1/8 cup cider or white wine vinegar
- water
Instructions:
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot.
- Sear the chicken and sweat the onions together.
- Add the garlic, and stir for a few seconds.
- Then add the spices, and stir for a few more seconds.
- Add the salt and vinegar, potatoes, and enough water to cover it all.
- Cover and bring to a boil on high heat.
- When it is boiling well, turn the heat down to low, and allow to cook for an hour or more.
To serve, each person should get a leg quarter and the equivalent of a large potato along with some soup. Use any leftover liquid for other recipes.
