Grandma’s chicken soup: A treasured recipe to nourish body and soul

By VERONICA HINKE Contributor February 22, 2012 11:38AM

Northbrook sisters Miriam Rozencwajg (front), and Sally Wallach enjoy their mothers chicken soup, made from a recipe has been in the family for years. | Tamara Bell~Sun Times Media

Chicken Soup

(From AllRecipes.com)

1 (2 to 3 pound) whole chicken

3 stalks celery with leaves, chopped

1 pound baby carrots

2 onions, chopped

2 cubes beef bouillon, crumbled

1 packet chicken noodle soup mix

2 (14.5-ounce) cans low-sodium chicken broth

1 pinch dried thyme

1 pinch poultry seasoning

1 pinch dried basil

5 black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

1 pinch dried parsley

1 (8-ounce) package farfalle (bow tie) pasta

Place chicken in large pot and cover with water. Place celery leaves in pot, and bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through, 30-40 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and place in bowl until cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, strain cooking liquid, discard celery tops and place cooking liquid in large pot. Place celery, carrots, onion, bouillon, soup mix and chicken broth in pot and simmer. Season with thyme, poultry seasoning, basil, peppercorns, bay leaves and parsley.

Bone chicken and cut up meat into bite-size pieces. Return meat to pot. Cook until vegetables are tender and flavors are well blended, up to 90 minutes.

Stir pasta into pot and cook 10-15 minutes more, until noodles are al dente.

Serve hot.

Article Extras

Updated: February 29, 2012 9:52AM

Friday night was always chicken soup night at the Rozencwajg house in Skokie. Miriam Rozencwajg would spend much of the day making soup from scratch, using a whole chicken. Sometimes, her soup contained matzo balls made from a mix; other variations showcased her homemade noodles. Rozencwajg later delighted her grandkids with the soup, and she still makes it for her husband David in their retirement home in Northbrook.

Rozencwajg’s daughter Jackie Melinger, now a Highland Park resident, happily recalls the Friday tradition as a childhood favorite. “My sisters and I all have memories of the soup, every Friday night. The grandchildren also talk about Grandma’s chicken soup all the time. They used to love to come over for her soup.”

No recipe

Melinger also remembers how her mother made the soup, free of the restrictions of a recipe. “My mom has always been the kind of cook who measures by looking,” she said.

Rozencwajg’s chicken soup contains chicken, carrots, celery and parsnip, parsley, dill and a bit of salt and pepper. She cuts and washes the chicken, places it in a large pot and fills the pot with water. When the water comes to a boil, she turns the heat down and skims the water with a spoon or a cheese cloth. Then she adds the vegetables and parsley.

“My mom cuts the veggies into chunks, not bite-size pieces. I think it is because not everyone likes to eat the vegetables,” Melinger said. In an especially caring touch, Rozencwajg has even served the vegetables from her soups in a separate bowl on the table for her family to decide whether they would like to add them.

Rozencwajg lets the soup cook for about an hour, or until the vegetables become soft. While the soup cooks, she skims the top every 10 minutes to ensure the broth stays clear.

“When it’s nice and clear it’s good soup,” said Rozencwajg’s sister Sally Wallach, a Glenview resident.

When her soup reaches the desired clarity, Rozencwajg adds a touch of fresh dill and salt and pepper and lets it cook for another 15-30 minutes.

Let it wait

Her soup can be eaten right away, but her family knows to let it sit for a day, and sometimes even two. The enhanced flavor is worth the wait.

“My mom always says chicken soup tastes even better the next day, because it has had time to soak in the flavor,” Melinger said.

For even richer, more complex flavors, she adds more vegetables. Rozencwajg doesn’t usually add onions or garlic, but those, too, can add zip to a soup.

Like Rozencwajg, Wallach raised her family in Skokie. She also made chicken soup for her family every Friday. “My mom and my aunt often used to shop together at the butcher to buy their meat, especially before holidays,” Melinger sid.

Her mom and aunt also grew up with a weekly chicken soup ritual. “The soup cooked all day. It was mostly my mother, but we all cooked together,” Wallach said.

The meal was enjoyed on Saturday nights. Holidays, too, were chicken soup days. “Every holiday there had to be chicken soup — every Saturday, too, that was tradition,” she recalled. And no matter when, chicken soup, which can be traced back as long ago as ancient Egypt as a treatment for everything from the common cold to a broken heart, is always a treat.

“Chicken soup is always good,” Wallach said.