 David Rubel'sWhat's For Dinner?4/12/06
The Broth
1. Peel and trim the carrots and parsnips. (If using organic produce, you don’t need to peel, but do wash well.) Peel and quarter the rutabaga and turnip. Remove the loose skin from the onions. 2. If you have a pressure cooker, divide the ingredients in half and refrigerate those that you’ll be using for the second batch. (The ingredients can be refrigerated all together in one large bowl.) Place one batch’s worth of ingredients in the pressure cooker, and add 2 quarts water. Seal the cooker, and bring it up to pressure over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, and cook for 30 minutes. Depressurize using the slow-release method. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, place the chicken in a large stockpot and cover with 4 quarts water. Bring the water to a boil, skimming off the froth that collects on the surface. Add the remaining ingredients, cover the pot, and simmer for 2 1/2 hours. 3. Let the broth cool. Remove the large chunks of meat and vegetables (see tip below). Strain the remaining broth through cheesecloth, and refrigerate. (If using a pressure cooker, make your second batch now, strain, and add to the first.) 4. After refrigerating the broth overnight, remove the layer of fat that has risen to the top and congealed. Reserve at least 2 tablespoons (see tip below). The Matzoh Balls
1. Mix the ingredients well, seasoning to taste. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour. 2. Dipping your hands in cold water as you go (to prevent sticking), fashion 16 small orbs, each about the size of a ping-pong ball. 3.Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the matzoh balls, and cook at a simmer, partially covered, until the matzoh balls are soft and fluffy, about 20-30 minutes. Add to the reheated broth.
Tips * I have my butcher cut up the chicken when I buy it, but you can easily do the cutting yourself with a knife and a pair of poultry shears. You get 12 pieces by separating the legs from the thighs and cutting each split breast and the back in half. * Most of the ingredients become pulp, but you can salvage the rutabaga, carrots, and parsnips for a weeknight side dish. You can also salvage a good deal of the chicken meat for use in chicken salads. * The fat that you remove from the chilled broth is schmaltz, which you should use (instead of the usual vegetable oil) in the matzoh balls.
Joyce Bernstein, who regularly prepares large quantities of chicken soup to freeze, offers this tip: “I usually reserve two or three carrots and parsnips, which I slice thinly and steam in a little chicken broth until just barely done. *Then I freeze them in single-portion quantities with small amounts of the broth. *When I defrost the soup, I add the steamed vegetables at the last minute and cook them just long enough for them to defrost and warm up. The fresh flavors and firmer texture have it way over the carrots and parsnips that cooked for a couple of hours with the chicken.”
If you have tried one of these recipes and have an improvement or tip or variation to suggest, please e-mail David at dinner@wamc.org. Also feel free to send along your own family cuisine recipes. You can even request dishes that you'd like David to present in the future. David Rubel is president of Agincourt Press, a book production company in Chatham, New York. He spends his days writing American history, then heads home after work to cook for his wife and two young children. His most recent book is The Story of America (DK, 2002). |
