GRANDM
A BEAUT
Y’S
CHICKE
N
S
OUP WIT
Chicken so
up, known
H A KICK
grandm
as “Jew
othe
ish penicil
lin,”
bone broth rs and mothers to h
ave in their is an essential recipe
is touted fo
for
ba
paring this
r
sweet sou its restorative powe g of tricks. It’s delicio all
p
rs. I used to
mom I lov
us, and
with my g
e pre
rand
loo
Instructing paring this memora mother Beauty as a k forward to pre-
bissel of th my 11-year-old dau ble dish for my kids. kid, and now, as a
ghter Sofia
at, she blu
rt
to throw in
like she is
here with ed out, “When we co
us.” Smellin
ok from Be a bissel of this and a
be true.
g the simm
a
ering soup uty’s recipe cards, it
1 (3½-pou
is
, I knew w
nd) chicke
hat she sa
n,
4 medium
id to
carrots, p cut into 8 pieces, m
eeled and
4 ribs cele
ost of the
cu
ry
sk
2 medium , cut into ¼-inch pie t into ¼-inch piece in removed
s
parsnips,
ces
peeled an
1 large sw
d c
ee
1 medium t potato, peeled an ut into ¼-inch piec
es
d diced
yellow on
io
4 cloves g
arlic, chop n, quartered
ped
1 (1-inch)
piece fres
h
A handful
g
of fresh d inger, finely grated
ill, chopp
2 tsp. gro
ed
un
Kosher sa d turmeric
lt
Freshly gro
u
Garlic pow nd black pepper
der
Grandma Beauty with Lerman, then 2
poem about everyone she ever met.
She would write them all out by hand,
and then her sister Jeannie would type
them up so she could save them nicely
in her album. “This is my favorite one,”
she would say, then read the poem
aloud.
As I lay on her lap, she would stroke
my hair, and I would ask her why she
liked spending time with me, yet my
mother did not. “Your mom loves you
very much; she just has a funny way of
showing it. You shouldn’t take it per-
sonally,” she said.
But no matter what my grandmother
said, I often felt uneasy around my
mother, knowing I could do something
wrong at any minute — even if I was
just sitting and reading. My mom was
not very affectionate and she would
constantly yell, “You’re invading my
space!” when I got too close or tried
to give her a hug. But Beauty was the
opposite. She liked to spend time with
me as much as I liked to spend time
with her. We could sit around the table
cooking and talking about our feelings
for hours.
Beauty would say, “God is in my
kitchen, not in temple” — which was
really upsetting to her very good friend
and neighbor, the rabbi next door. My
grandmother lived in a neighborhood
ough
with many religious families, although
ed
Beauty never believed in organized
religion or going to temple herself. f. “I
m. “I
am a culinary Jew,” she’d proclaim.
ame
honor tradition and those who came
before me, and I want to pass the his-
ind
tory of the food on to you. I can find
elieve
my heritage in a bowl of soup. I believe
in the power of sweet-and-sour meat-
ne
balls. I believe that when I combine
urt
eggs, raisins, cottage cheese, yogurt
nor
and baby shells into a kugel, I honor
hat
my own grandmother. I believe that
stuffed cabbage connects me to my
father, whom I miss. My bible is reci-
ep
pes that fill your soul and will keep
ars
you healthy and nourished for years
Add 4 cup
s of cold w
to come.”
bring to a
boil. Add th ater to an 8-quart sto
From the time I could hold a
c
e chicken
off the foa
and cook u kpot; set over high
m,
he
ntil foam c
spoon, my grandmother involved
parsnips, s reduce the heat to
omes to th at and
me
we
e top. Spo
me in the cooking process, allow-
hours and et potato, onion, ga dium-low, and add
on
the carrots
ad
rlic, ginger
, celery,
a
ing me to mix the onions, green
cooks, the d 8 cups of cold wa
ter, 1 cup a nd dill. Simmer the
liquid will
sou
eva
t a
peppers and bread crumbs for
every 30 m
inutes to re porate and the sou time, as needed. As p for 2
p will thick
the soup
the salmon patties and decide
move any
Stir in the
en. Check
film that ri
tu
the soup
ses to the
pot from th rmeric, salt, peppe
what kind of soup we were going
top.
r and garlic
e h
powder to
to prepare. And Beauty always
Remove th eat.
taste, and
remove th
meat off th e chicken and the v
made sure I was the one who
e
egetables
e bones. L
from the s
adle the b
chicken an
tasted first whatever we were
oup, and p
roth into b
d vegetab
ull
ow
les to each
making. In her arms, I was
. Makes 12 ls and add the desir the chicken
ed amoun
servings.
never hungry for food, love or
t of
affection. She was my mentor and d my
savior — saving my life, spoonful l by
spoonful.
*
September 29 • 2016
131