Chicken soup with dill and cumin
Like many Americans, I have fond memories of family dinners that began with a savory bowl of steaming chicken noodle soup. There’s no mystery to its preparation; the chicken does all the work as it simmers unattended. But there are a few important basics to keep in mind.
Use lots of bony pieces, such as wings and backs, and dark-meat cuts such as legs and thighs. (An acquaintance recently complained that no matter what she does, her soup doesn’t compare with those at restaurants. It turns out that she uses boneless chicken breasts, lots of water and no salt--no wonder her soup lacks flavor.) If your butcher can get you a stewing hen, it will need more time to simmer but will produce a superb soup.
Supporting flavors come from aromatic vegetables--onions, carrots and celery. Garlic is a great addition, as are leeks, parsnips or parsley roots, when you have them. Include a few herbs or spices, such as thyme, bay leaves and parsley stems for the French bouquet garni. Dill gives an Eastern European flavor, ginger root and cilantro an Asian accent and cumin, turmeric and plenty of pepper a Middle Eastern touch.
If you want noodles or rice in your soup, cook them separately so the starch they give off won’t cloud the broth.
*
Levy is the author of “1,000 Jewish Recipes” (Hungry Minds, 2000).
Place the chicken, onion, carrots, potatoes (but not the noodles), celery and bay leaves in a large stew pan or soup pot. Pour in enough water to cover the ingredients by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil. With a large spoon, remove the foam from the soup’s surface. Add salt, pepper and cumin to taste. Cover and cook over low heat, occasionally skimming off the foam and fat, until the chicken is tender, about 45 minutes.
Add the zucchini, mushrooms and garlic and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat until the vegetables are tender and the soup is well flavored, about 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.
If adding noodles, bring a saucepan of water to boil and add salt. Add the noodles, stir and cook uncovered over high heat until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain well. Keep the noodles in a separate dish so they won’t soften when you reheat the soup.
Skim the fat from the broth with a large spoon. If you refrigerate the soup until cold, the fat solidifies on top and can be easily removed. Remove the chicken and discard its skin. Leave the pieces whole or cut off the meat, discarding the bones. Return the chicken to the soup or save part of it for other uses.
Reheat the soup to a simmer. Add the dill and more salt and pepper, if needed. Divide the noodles among shallow soup bowls, then ladle the hot soup over them.
Get our Cooking newsletter.
Your roundup of inspiring recipes and kitchen tricks.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
