Esau, who is mentioned in the Bible, sold his birthright to his cunning brother Jacob for a soup (soup or stew) of lentils.
As much as I adore lentils and have an unfathomable addiction to dahl, I realize that hunger can drive one to despair, but a good bowl of chicken soup would be my identification. Siblings take note. Fortunately, none of them have my recipe (yet).
This recipe, sourced from a great home cook many years ago, takes the idea of ”Jewish penicillin” to a higher level, by packing heaps of flavor, a slow-cooking process, and filling ingredients that are just about at their best—by date, This is to reduce waste in the kitchen.
Don’t rush – and if you can, eat it the next day.
It’s worth the wait as the flavors improve with just a bit of time.
Freezes well.
Hearty chicken soup
ingredients:
4 shallots, chopped
6 garlic cloves, mashed and minced
2 grated carrots
2 stalks of chopped celery
1 whole chicken or 1 kg of chicken pieces (with bones)
1 cup barley
2 chicken stock cubes
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 cup of chopped parsley
4 cloves or a pinch of cloves
6 grains of black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 cm ginger, cut into thin slices
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 chopped tomato
1 teaspoon of paprika
2 liters of water
A little olive oil
Chopped hot pepper, optional
Maggi seasoning to taste
Juice of 2 sour lemons
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Sauté the shallots, add the vegetables and chicken, and lightly brown. Add chicken broth, barley, herbs, spices, and water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat so that it simmers gently.
After about two hours, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly to allow excess fat to rise to the top. Skim off the fat and add a little extra virgin olive oil, MAGGI seasoning to taste and fresh lemon/lime juice. Served with crispy bread. DM
