Bubbie Rae, Gettin' All Souped Up

/

Everyone who has a Bubbie probably thinks that theirs made the best chicken soup. They're wrong; mine did.

A few words about her: she was a Holocaust survivor who had a notoriously upbeat outlook on life. She was unflappably positive and calm. She had a great sense of humor. I remember her dancing to the DJmusic at my bat mitzvah. She loved to play Rummy. Bubbie Rae was a woman full of love and life. Her heart dictated all her actions, including cooking. She had a few specialties, the two I remember most are her potato kugel, the likes of which I've never since seen, and her chicken soup. Every Friday night, she'd drive to the homes of her four children, delivering to each a massive pot of soup. Having been accustomed to that, I didn't realize how incredibly special that was. What a magnificent tradition, befitting of a magnificent woman.

My Zaide died in 1985. Bubbie was a widow for many years. She stayed strong and lively always, she never faltered. At least, not to my knowledge. I'm sure she had her moments, but above all, she had perspective. After surviving the War, what could possibly bother her? I went to high school in her neighborhood, so at least once a week I'd sleep at her house, often after volleyball practice. My friends and I would cut class and go hang by her during the day. She was a Bubbie to all her grandchildrens' friends. Open heart, open home, open hands. I loved having breakfast with her before school the next day. She had a cabinet in her kitchen filled with cinnamon Trident, which she called "chewing gum", chocolate and coffee flavored Nips candies, and these little fruit flavored candies that came in pretty tins. Her house was beautiful, filled with things she accumulated on her travels with my grandfather. Lots of Iladro sculptures, as was common of her and her peeps:). There was a grand, sweeping staircase right when you walked in. Entering her home was an experience. While the house was pretty and finely decorated, she didn't care at all about material things. She wanted health, happiness, air, family, and freedom. She always remained exceedingly humble and down to earth. What gave her joy and "nachas" was her family, and bringing them this chicken soup at the end of each week. Special people yield special food...   

I too make chicken soup for my family every week for our Friday night Sabbath dinner, and I only make hers. There's one special ingredient that produces a flavor unlike any other soup I've ever had. That ingredient is a tomato🍅😀. Simmering the tomato during the whole cooking process lends a rich, sweet undertone to the soup. I actually make it twice a week, since it's one of the few things everyone in my home eats. It's a nightly staple so it disappears fast. I feel so good watching my kids eat it, especially on a cold night or when someone isn't feeling well. Nothing goes to waste, since any leftover broth gets frozen as stock for other recipes. There is always a need for fresh chicken stock🐔.

 

 

Ingredients

  • 2 Carrots 
  • 2 Celery stalks
  • 2 parsnips
  • 2 turnips
  • Bunch of Parsley
  • Bunch of dill
  • 1 Onion
  • 1 Leek
  • 1 Chicken cut into eighths
  • 6 chicken flavored bullion cubes
  • 1 firm plum tomato 
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

 

Directions 

I start with a six quart pot. A package of soup greens from the supermarket. This will include carrots, celery, parsnips, turnips (at least two each), a bunch of parsley and dill, and an onion or a leek. Just buy loose if you can't find it sold together. I use a whole chicken cut into eight pieces. I usually use a skinless one, since that produces way less fat, but I will say that fat gives a really substantive flavor, if you're partial to keeping the skin on. Always use chicken with bones. The bones are the flavor makers. Six chicken flavored bullion cubes. You'll need a mesh bag in which to include the bundle of fresh herbs. One large, firm plum tomato. Ripe but firm, so it doesn't disintegrate during cooking.

Peel and cut all veggies into chunks. Leave the leek or onion whole.  Place everything in the pot and fill with water until two inches before max capacity, so you have room when it boils up. Two teaspoons of salt, half a teaspoon of finely ground black pepper. I add a quarter teaspoon of garlic powder, not a Bubbie thing , but it gives a nice little kick in the tush😉.

Cover pot. Bring to a boil on high, then lower and simmer for two hours. At the start of my soup making career, I used to cook it on high the whole time, until the soup once completely evaporated. Lesson learned. I went to check it and it was legit gone.

After being refrigerated overnight, remove the greenish congealed layer of fat with a sieve. Remove the tomato and mesh bag of herbs.  The skimming of the fat is an oddly satisfying process for me. Serve with your favorite noodles, we like the alphabet kind. You can remove the chicken, take it off the bones, and shred it for a hearty, chunky soup. Or just enjoy the liquid gold on its own. You cannot go wrong, however you prefer it. I was once in charge of transporting the vats of soup on behalf of Bubbie. One of them spilled. There were matzoh balls rolling around the trunk of the brand new car. It was an olfactory nightmare, soup mixed with leather, rubber, and carpet. The smell never came out, despite numerous attempts at the car wash. You can't get rid of what's right in your life... Bubbie, I miss you. I love you. The taste of your heart lives in our bellies, every single day.