chicken soup

my grandmother calls it "Marak Cholim", which means in hebrew, "soup for the ill". i swear it's got healing power :)


ingredients for one big pot:
* chicken cut into parts
roots:
* parsley root
* celery root
* 1-2 medium carrot
* potato (for boiling)
* onion

* zucchini
* bunch of parsley

* 2 tbs chicken bouillon ("powdered soup"?) -- i use Knorr.

basic instructions:
peel roots; cut the roots and zucchini into cubes. put everything in a pot and cover with water. boil and cook on low heat (let simmer) for a couple of hours. after an hour or so add the bouillon, and adjust flavors (more bouillon / salt / pepper).
before serving, skim the oil off the top with a large spoon and discard. it's easier to take it out after the soup cooled, if you don't plan to have it right away. alternatively, there are kitchen gadgets for separating oil from liquids... i just use a spoon.

notes:
* if you don't want to use a full chicken, that's fine. use some chicken parts. but don't just use breasts -- the skin, and especially the bones, add a lot to the flavor (that's the secret!). i throw out about half of the skin before cooking, so that there's less oil to handle. but don't remove all of it. when i use a whole chicken, i don't use the giblets, but i do use the throat. that too adds a lot of flavor.
* parsley: option 1 -- tie the bunch with a string, cook with the soup and remove before serving. option 2 -- the same, but chop some
of it and add to the soup.
* roots -- celery and parsley root -- i like them, but if you don't plan on eating them you can cut them into 1/4s and remove before serving, or just leave them in the pot.
* you can possibly use broth instead of powder, i never tried.
* the soup usually tastes better the next day. but the healing power is already effective when the smell spreads around the house :)