The Second Avenue Deli Cookbook (11 page)

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Authors: Sharon Lebewohl

BOOK: The Second Avenue Deli Cookbook
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A
S
E
SAU
, who sold his birthright for a bowl of red lentils (Genesis 25:30–34) could have told you, few things are more comforting than a steaming bowl of flavorful, full-bodied soup. Jewish soups—enhanced by noodles, kasha, garlicky croutons, kreplach, dumplings, and matzo balls (see
recipes
at the end of this chapter)—are especially hearty and nourishing. A generous serving of Second Avenue Deli split pea, mushroom barley, lima bean, or potato soup, sopped up with chunks of fresh challah, makes a richly satisfying meal in itself.

Note:
Soups can all be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Their flavor is, generally, only enhanced by time.

Mushroom Barley Soup
SERVES
6
TO
8
“Flecked with carrots, celery, and onions, and fresh and dried mushrooms, it is a creamy, bracing antidote to midwinter snow and wind.”

M
IMI
S
HERATON
,
The New York Times

½ pound barley
10 cups clear chicken soup or stock
3 tablespoons corn oil
3 cups chopped onion
1 pound scrubbed, fresh mushrooms, sliced into pieces ⅛-inch thick
2 tablespoons finely chopped or crushed fresh garlic
5 large pieces dried mushroom (preferably shiitakes)
¾ cup carrot, chopped into ½-inch pieces
1 cup celery, chopped into ½-inch pieces
½ cup parsnip, chopped into ¼-inch pieces
Salt (the amount will depend on how much salt is in the chicken stock you use; if it's salty, you may not need any)
¼ teaspoon pepper
1. Place barley and chicken soup in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
2. While the soup and barley are cooking, heat corn oil in a large skillet,
and sauté onions on high heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add fresh mushrooms, and continue to sauté, stirring frequently, until everything is nicely browned. At the last minute, add garlic, and brown quickly. With a slotted spoon, remove contents of skillet to a bowl, and set aside. Meanwhile, soak dried mushrooms in hot water for 15 minutes to soften. Chop into ½-inch pieces, and set aside.
3. Add onion-mushroom mixture, dried mushrooms, carrots, celery, parsnips, salt (if needed), and pepper to the soup. Simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Lima Bean Soup

Lima Bean Soup
SERVES
8
3 cups uncooked lima beans
10 cups clear chicken soup or stock
1½ cups onion, chopped into ½-inch pieces
1½ cups 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 it's 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 … both in itself and as the underpinning for many traditional recipes. Known as the “Jewish penicillin” (Moses Maimonides, Spanish philosopher and physician, touted its healing powers as far back as the twelfth century, even claiming it was “beneficial in leprosy”), 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, for
symbolic 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 “say
drash
” (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 bride's family, it was replete with the chicken's 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 parents' wedding, Roz's maternal grandfather, Mordecai, went to the market to purchase a chicken for the postnuptial ritual. A lifelong tightwad, he couldn't bring himself to spend a lot of money for a big, plump bird. When he returned home with a scrawny chicken—the kind on which the family habitually dined—Roz's grandmother, Rifka-Ruchel, rained curses on him for bringing home such an ill-fed fowl for the momentous occasion. Intense and relentless bickering ensued. Finally—for the sake of family peace and his daughter's future happiness—Mordecai returned to the market and exchanged the bony bird for a nice fat hen. Unfortunately, when Roz's 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; Roz's 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 into 3-inch pieces
1 whole chicken, thoroughly rinsed
Salt to rub inside chicken
1 large whole onion, unpeeled (find one with a firm, golden-brown peel)
1 large whole carrot, peeled
1 medium whole parsnip, peeled
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 bunch of dill, cleaned and tied with a string
1. Pour 12 cups of cold water into a large stockpot, and throw in the chicken parts and celery. Bring to a boil. While water is heating, rub the inside of the whole chicken with salt.
2. Add the chicken to the pot, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Test chicken with a fork to see if it's tender and fully cooked; then remove it from the pot, and set aside on a large platter. Leave chicken parts in the pot.
3. Add onion, carrot, parsnip, salt, and pepper. Let soup simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
4. When chicken cools, remove skin and bones and cut into bite-sized pieces. You can add it to the soup, just before serving, or save it for chicken salad.
5. Strain the soup, and discard everything solid except the carrot.
6. Drop in the dill for a minute before serving and remove. Add salt and pepper to taste. Slice carrot and toss into soup. Also add the chicken pieces if desired. Other options: Add cooked noodles, rice, kasha, or
matzo balls
.
Note:
The Deli's recipe calls for both a whole chicken plus 1 pound of chicken parts. You can, however, use just 1 large chicken and cut off both wings, the neck, and a leg to use as parts.

C
HICKEN SOUP
is more than just a food; it's a defining Jewish-mother ritual. Herewith, a few examples of its arcane etiquette from humorist Myra Chanin, who has written an entire book on the subject.
Set out bowls and serve everyone soup. When they ask why you aren't joining them, tell them you'll eat after you finish cleaning the kitchen.
After everyone agrees that this is absolutely the best soup they have ever tasted, wait forty-three seconds and ask if they are
sure
the soup was all right.
 … understand that your daughter is too busy with her important work to ever serve the child anything but canned.
From
Jewish Penicillin: Mother Wonderful's Chicken Soup
(101 Productions, © 1984).

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