Sizzling Skillets and Other One-Pot Wonders - Emeril Lagasse [60]
2. Add the onion, carrot, and celery to the hot pan and sauté until lightly caramelized, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and apples and sauté until the apples are caramelized, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the potatoes, sweet potatoes, lentils, and 4 cups of the chicken stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook the soup until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the zucchini, squash, spinach, coconut milk, pepper, tomato, the reserved chicken, and the remaining 1½ teaspoons salt and 2 cups chicken stock. Simmer the soup until the lentils and chicken are tender, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and stir in the cider vinegar. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
3. To serve the soup, place ½ cup of the rice in a warmed large bowl and pour 2 cups of the soup over the rice. Garnish with the ground cashews and cilantro.
12 cups, 6 servings
MATZOH BALL SOUP
Also known as “Jewish penicillin,” matzoh ball soup is a quintessential comfort food and is considered by many to be a surefire cure for the common cold. The trick to a good matzoh ball soup is starting with a rich chicken broth and adding light, fluffy matzoh balls. Though this soup can be enjoyed year-round, for members of the Jewish faith it is an essential dish during Passover and is often eaten on Shabbat.
One 5-pound chicken, cut into quarters
8 quarts cold water
2 large celery stalks with leaves, chopped, plus 1 cup thinly sliced celery
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into big chunks, plus 1 cup thinly sliced carrot rounds
1 onion, quartered, plus 1 cup thinly sliced onion
3 sprigs fresh parsley, plus ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 bay leaf
½ cup chicken fat, either store-bought or reserved from making the stock, plus grapeseed oil if necessary
4 eggs, separated
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon and a pinch of salt
1 cup matzoh meal
¼ cup seltzer water
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 teaspoon snipped fresh chives
1 cup thinly sliced leek, white and light green parts
1. Rinse the chicken under cold running water and place in a 12-quart soup pot or stockpot. Cover with the cold water and bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam that comes to the surface. Add the chopped celery stalks, carrot chunks, quartered onion, parsley sprigs, and bay leaf and simmer over medium-low heat, partially covered, for 3 hours, skimming as needed, until the chicken is very tender and pulls away from the bone and the broth is very flavorful.
2. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth and set aside to cool. Discard the vegetables. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin and bones. Shred the meat with a fork and set aside.
3. When the broth has cooled completely, skim any fat from the surface and reserve for making the matzoh balls. You should have about ½ cup of rendered fat; if not, add grapeseed oil to bring the volume up to ½ cup.
4. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt to soft peaks. Soft peaks are formed when the whites appear thick and fluffy but will droop slightly when the beaters are removed.
5. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the 4 egg yolks and ¼ cup of the reserved chicken fat. Stir in the matzoh meal, seltzer, white pepper, chives, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and 2 teaspoons of the chopped parsley and mix well. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites until they are fully incorporated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Using a small ice cream scoop or a small spoon, form the matzoh dough into balls the size of walnuts, about 1 tablespoon each (about 36 matzoh balls). In a large pot, bring 4 cups of the chicken broth to a brisk simmer, season with 1 teaspoon of the remaining salt, add the matzoh balls, cover, and cook until the balls float to the top and are cooked through, about 10 minutes.
6. In a separate large stockpot, heat the remaining ¼ cup reserved chicken fat over medium-high