Grandma Mala’s Chicken Soup

Grandma Mala’s chicken soup is a delightfully savory, pristinely clear soup broth that is as delicious as it is nutritious (with legendary healing properties to boot). The recipe is an intriguing one because although we all refer to it as “chicken soup,” it actually uses chicken, turkey, and beef. The meats and bones provide nourishing minerals (although they don’t cook for long enough to classify this soup as a bone broth), and the plethora of vegetables provide vitamins to create the perfect soup to make if you or someone you love is under the weather. I cook up a batch every month or so and keep it in air-tight containers in my freezer, ready to give away to friends and family who are sick, to serve on Shabbat every Friday night, and to serve during the many Jewish holidays throughout the year- in fact, a portion of my most recent batch will be consumed with matzo balls during our Passover Seder coming up in a little over 2 weeks!

This recipe is my most prized possession, because it’s something that I can never lose, as it lives inside of me. More importantly, the taste and smell of this soup connects me to my Grandma Mala and to her mom, my Great-Grandma Esther Weintraub, who was tragically murdered in her early 40s in August, 1944 at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Grandma Mala was only fifteen years old when the Nazis invaded Poland, her home country. She was separated from her family early on, so she was forced to fend for herself in the ghettos and camps from 1939 to 1945. She was one of seven children, but only three of them survived. Both of her parents were murdered along with her younger siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins. Of at least 75 extended family members, only 11 survived. Now understanding this context, it’s plain to see why, to me, this soup recipe is so much more than just a soup recipe. This precious recipe is a tether that connects me to the family members I’ll never know, and whom I’ll never stop mourning.

Just like her mother before her, my Grandma Mala made this soup every Friday for Shabbat for her children, and at least once a month once my mom and her siblings moved out and started their own families. She always has extra in the freezer for when friends or neighbors come down with colds. As one can imagine, I’ve been eating this delicious soup since I was a baby, and the taste of it instantly transports me back to the comforts of my childhood. Even my husband, who has never been a soup fan, is obsessed with Grandma Mala’s chicken soup; he can’t get enough of it, especially when he’s not feeling well. Like my grandma, I always make sure to have lots of pre-portioned chicken soup stocked in my freezer, just in case. You’ll only have to make this soup once to realize how effective it is in warding off whatever ails you, and how special it is. You can taste the history in every spoonful, and when you make it, you’re helping my Great-Grandma Esther live on in your home, as she does in mine.

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To begin, pat the meat as dry as possible.

Optional: Organize the meat and cauliflower by type and wrap in cheesecloth or place in a heat-tolerant straining bag (so you end up with 4 bundles total: one for chicken, beef, turkey, and cauliflower). Fasten with baking twine (disregard this step if using a straining bag). This makes it SO much easier to serve the meat later and, more importantly, to strain the soup once it’s finished cooking.

Place the turkey and beef bundles at the bottom of a medium/large pot and fill with water until the meat is covered. If you plan on cooking with or serving the meat, add 2 handfuls of kosher salt to the water to season the meat as it cooks off. Bring to a boil and cook for an hour. Remove from the stove, pour out all of what Grandma Mala calls the “dirty water,” and wash all of the scum off the cheesecloth-wrapped turkey and beef bundles. Repeat with the chicken (skip this step if you’re just using breasts), bringing it to a boil, then discarding the dirty water.

Fill the pot with the rest of the vegetables, 2 handfuls of kosher salt, and ¼ cup Vegeta seasoning. Put all 3 meat bundles (including the uncooked chicken one) into the largest soup pot you have. Add one bunch of dill and if you’re using parsley roots, add both parsley roots, but reserve the leaves off one of them for the end. If you’re using parsley leaves, add one bunch to the pot and save the second bunch for later.

Fill with enough water to just about cover everything. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil, then turn the stove down to a simmer. This may take some adjusting, so it is recommended to check the soup every 30 minutes to make sure it isn’t boiling or placid.

Simmer for 3-5 hours, then turn off the het and add the remaining parsley and dill (reserving a small amount to chop for garnish). Taste to see if it needs more salt or Vegeta. If so, add it now. Let the soup sit with the lid on for 30 more minutes, then mix up and taste one last time to make sure it’s seasoned properly, and if not, adjust it.

Using a soup strainer, strain the soup (you can reserve the vegetables to blend into a pureed vegetable soup).

Store in air-tight containers in the refrigerator for 5-7 days or in the freezer for 6 months for maximum freshness, but it will stay safe in the freezer well beyond 6 months. Serve hot with finely chopped dill (optional).