The Aussie Gourmet: Chicken Soup with Knedlach

In The K tchen Pre-Fast Chicken Soup with Kreplach

Yields 8 servings

By Naomi Nachman

I have really strong memories of my Mum and Bubbie (grandmother) sitting around the kitchen table making kreplach by hand. They made the dough from scratch, rolled it out, and filled each “pocket” with morsels of meat which they pre-cooked for hours. They would make hundreds of them and give them out to my cousins and neighbors. Times are a little different, and we have a few shortcuts that we can use nowadays, such wonton wrappers. And, we are a little more health-conscious, so I prefer to use delicious ground chicken or turkey.

Soup Ingredients

b 2 tablespoons canola oil b 2 large carrots, diced b 3 stalks celery, diced b 2 medium onions, diced b 2 zucchinis, diced b 4 cloves garlic, minced b 8 cups chicken broth or water b 4 chicken leg quarters b 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning b Kosher salt, to taste b Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onion and zucchini; sauté 3-4 minutes. 2. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds longer. Add broth. 3. While broth is coming to a boil,

add chicken to pot. 4. Once broth is boiling add, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cover; simmer on low for 2 hours. 5. Remove chicken from soup and let cool. Pull chicken from its bones and return to soup.

Kreplach

Yields approximately 40 Ingredients

b 2 tablespoons canola oil b 1 medium onion, diced b 2 cloves garlic, minced b ½ teaspoon ginger, minced, or 1-2 frozen cubes b 1 teaspoon kosher salt b 1 pack ground chicken b 1 teaspoon soy sauce b ½ teaspoon sesame oil b 1 cup panko crumbs b ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro or

parsley or mix of each b 1- 9 oz. package wonton wrappers

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a sauté pan on medium heat. 2. When oil is hot, add onions and cook until translucent. 3. Add garlic, ginger and salt; cook on low for 2 minutes. 4. Remove from heat and place in a mixing bowl to cool. 5. Once cooled, add ground chicken, soy sauce, sesame oil, panko crumbs and herbs. Gently mix everything together and set aside. 6. Place wonton wrappers on a lightly floured counter or cutting board. 7. Lightly brush each wonton wrapper with water. 8. Place one teaspoon of filling in

center of wrapper. Seal edges by folding over and pressing to form a triangle out of the square. 9. Place filled wontons on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. When tray gets full, add another layer of parchment paper on top of first layer and continue to use up mixture.

After all wontons are added, place in freezer for 20 minutes to firm up. 10. When ready to cook: Take some broth from the chicken soup and bring to boil. (You can also bring tap water to boil.) Add desired number of wontons directly from freezer to boiling broth and simmer for 15 minutes. 11. To serve, ladle kreplach in each bowl with heated soup.

Cook’s note: These can also be pan-fried with oil in a sauté pan.

Naomi Nachman, the owner of The Aussie Gourmet, caters weekly and Shabbat/ Yom Tov meals for families and individuals within The Five Towns and neighboring communities, with a specialty in Pesach catering. Naomi is a contributing editor to this paper and also produces and hosts her own weekly radio show on the Nachum Segal Network stream called “A Table for Two with Naomi Nachman.” Naomi gives cooking presentations for organizations and private groups throughout the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan area. In addition, Naomi has been a guest host on the QVC TV network and has been featured in cookbooks, magazines as well as other media covering topics related to cuisine preparation and personal chefs. To obtain additional recipes, join The Aussie Gourmet on Facebook or visit Naomi’s blog. Naomi can be reached through her website, www.theaussiegourmet.com or at (516) 295-9669.