Chicken Soup, without the matzo balls

For my second choice...

I decided to make my mom's chicken soup, without matzo balls. Why without matzo balls? Not because I don't LOVE them, but simply because this past Rosh HaShanah, I made matzo balls with my grandmother, as those are her specialty.

So, having mastered perfectly fluffy matzo balls, I decided to master beautiful, clear, non-greasy chicken soup. In general, I don't like most people's chicken soup, but my mother's chicken soup is one of the most delicious foods in the world, so obviously I needed to learn how to make her recipe.

Put it in the refrigerator overnight!

This is key: At the very end, after you strain the soup and let it cool down, you should cover the pot or bowl in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, the fat will have solidified into a thick layer on top of the soup. Scooping off this layer will ensure that your soup is not greasy.

An Ethnic Favorite

If I could pick one food as the ethnic Jewish food, it would be chicken soup. Used for generations as the ultimate medicine, and a part of almost every holiday meal, chicken soup is a staple in Jewish cooking. For generations, purchasing or acquiring meat was extremely expensive and difficult, and therefore a delicacy. As slaughtering young hens, who were still laying eggs, was impractical, women had to use older hens, who were past their egg-laying prime. The result? The stewing hen! Perfect for making soup stock, stewing hens are old hens with little else to offer. Not only did making soup allow women to use all of the chicken, it also allowed them to use every chicken.

Ingredients

1 chicken [4 to 5 pounds], preferably a stewing hen
3 quarts water
1 tablespoon salt
1 large or 2 medium-sized yellow onions
4 ribs celery with leafy tops
1 bunch fresh dill
4 carrots, peeled
3 parsnips, peeled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Rinse the chicken and trim off the excess fat. Cut the chicken into quarters and place in a large stock pot. Add the water and 1 tablespoon salt. Cover the pot and heat to boiling. Uncover and skim off the scum from the top.

2. Add the onions, celery and half the dill. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour.

• Note about the onion: some people leave the skin on the onion, as they say that it helps the soup achieve that perfect golden color. My mom peels the onion, so I peeled the onion.
  

3. Cut the onions, celery and parsnips in half and add to the stock. Simmer until the chicekn is fork tender, about 1 hour.

• Note about the celery: Make sure to use celery with plenty of leaves on top. The celery leaves contain a ton of flavor!
  

4. Remove the chicekn from the pot and reserve for another use. Remove the carrots and parsnips and set aside.

5. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan. Discard the solids. Let the stock cool.

At this point, my mom stops following the original recipe, which tells you to cut the vegetables into julienne strips. We like our chicken soup pure, without vegetables in it. So, my mom sets aside the vegetables and we eat them as a side dish instead.

Don't forget to put it in the refrigerator and skim off the fat in the morning!

Baking Rugelach with Mom

My Choice

So first off all, I have to tell you that I put a lot of thought into what recipes I want to make for each of these assignments. I decided to make three family favorites, each of which I want to learn from the people that usually make them. So, for this first one, I baked rugelach cookies with my mom. I love these cookies and I know that it takes my mom a whole day to make them, so I was a little nervous when we started out. Although I like to cook, I don't love to cook the way both my mom and my mother-in-law love it. Furthermore, I am terrified of baking! Everything needs to be so precise, and I'm always afraid that it won't look good in the end.

Notes from the Process

When I first go to my mom and dad's house, my mom explained that she already had the cream cheese out, so that it would be at room temperature when we started. Of course, as we read over the recipe, she realized that she had forgotten to put the butter out as well. That made me feel a lot better. I always think that I've read through the recipe and know what I am doing, only to find that I've forgotten an ingredient, or forgotten to put something out, etc. Not to fear, we simply warmed the butter in the microwave. But VERY slowly, otherwise it will melt! Another small tweak that we made to the recipe was that we used dark brown sugar instead of light brown. Dark has more molasses, and my mom and I both like the richer taste. As we cooked, I realized that I got a great deal of my cooking style from my mom. Like her, I like to pre-measure my ingredients and have everything out in front of me before I start. Also like her, and very unlike my dad, I like to was the dishes as I go, so that I am not left with a filthy kitchen at the end. My mom and I cook a lot like Miriam in Miriam's Kitchen! Although it took 4 hours to make the rugelach, it was really fun to watch them come together. I learned not to handle the dough too much, and to just "roll, roll, roll!" as my mom put it. I learned not to be afraid of messing up, but to just go for it and have confidence. Baking teaches important life lessons! :)

Connection to Kashrut

I did not put much thought as far as kashrut into either my choice to make rugelach, or how I made them. My parents don't keep kosher, so not all of the ingredients were hekhshered. However, while my mom does not specifically buy kosher ingredients, she does specifically buy all organic. This provided me with an interesting comparison. At my house, I choose to seek out only kosher foods, whereas at my mom's house, she seeks out only organic foods. I make my choice based on a religious conviction, and my mom makes her choice based on a health/taste conviction.

While the rugelach are not connected to kashrut, they are very much so connected to my family and my heritage. As an Ashkenazic Jew, rugelach have always been a part of my family celebrations and of my food vocabulary. I can even remember reading a book when I was little about a Russian Jewish immigrant girl whose mother made her rugelach for her birthday instead of a birthday cake. I am so proud to be able to carry on a family tradition, and to have learned something so delicious from my mom. Needless to say, as a newlywed, it is very important for me to learn these recipes, so that I can make wonderful holiday meals for my family in the future. And my husband doesn't mind eating the leftovers!

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2-pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar plus 9 tablespoons
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup raisins
• 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup apricot preserves, pureed in a food processor
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk, for egg wash

Directions

Cream the cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the salt, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and mix until just combined. Dump the dough out onto a well-floured board and roll it into a ball. Cut the ball in quarters, wrap each piece in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

To make the filling, combine 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, the raisins, and walnuts.

On a well-floured board, roll each ball of dough into a 9-inch circle. Spread the dough with 2 tablespoons apricot preserves and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the filling. Press the filling lightly into the dough. Cut the circle into 12 equal wedges—cutting the whole circle in quarters, then each quarter into thirds. Starting with the wide edge, roll up each wedge. Place the cookies, points tucked under, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush each cookie with the egg wash. Combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle on the cookies. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack and let cool.