This week we have taken special notice of the amazing work that the Red Cross does around the globe, as well as it’s members here in South Africa and in Israel. With International Nurses Day coming up on May 12th, it is also important to take notice of those other medical workers, Nurses. Most of the time, we hurry through our days, going from one task to the next, taking care of the kids, working, fighting traffic to get home and cook, and hardly stop to think that our healthy body is what gets us through the day. When we are forced to slow down because of a cold or virus, or something more serious, we come face to face with people who have chosen to care for the sick and the dying their entire lives. Somehow they manage to bring comfort and kindness to our bedside and many of these wonderful doctors and nurses go unrewarded.
May 12th every year marks the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, the mother of modern nursing. A remarkable women, Florence Nightingale founded the first school for nursing in 1860 in London. She was awarded the Royal Red Cross and several other awards for her service and innovation in the field of nursing.
It was the first secular nursing school in the world, now part of King’s College London. In recognition of her pioneering work in nursing, the pledge that new nurses take upon commencing their duties and the prestigious international distinction nursing medal, are both named after her; the Nightingale Pledge and the Florence Nightingale Medal. The annual International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world on her birthday. She was a strong advocate for women and society and is credited with improving healthcare for all sections of British society, advocating better hunger relief in India and was working towards female equality in the workplace. At that time in history, it was about expanding what was acceptable, but it was a start.
In a similar way, Grandmothers, Mothers and many Fathers too, take care of us when we fall ill. Jewish grandmothers swear by “Jewish Penicillin”, a tasty simple soup with chicken and a few vegetables in a soothing broth. For some reason, it always calms the system and brings a little smile to the face. My grandmother would swear it was because she added a “secret ingredient”, which I learned later was simply a dash of turmeric. I now add it every time I make it for my family and I swear it does make a difference. This recipe below is the traditional recipe that most Jewish families know, and over the years, each family has added their own twist.
Enjoy making this for your family and please let us know how you like it, or how you’ve made it your own! We wish you all good health!
Traditional Chicken Soup Wash the chicken inside and out, remove pinfeathers and hairs and place it in a soup pot. Pour enough water in the pot to cover the chicken by 1-inch.
Bring the liquid to a boil, lower the heat, and for the next several minutes, remove any scum that rises to the surface. Add the carrots, celery, parsnip, onion, dill, salt and peppercorns.
Cover the pan partially and simmer the soup for 2-1/2 hours or until the chicken meat is very soft when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Pour the soup through a strainer or colander into a large bowl or a second pot. Set the chicken and vegetables aside. Remove the fat from the surface of the liquid with a spoon or fat-skimming tool or by patting paper towels on the surface.
For best results, refrigerate the strained soup; when it is cold, the fat will rise to the surface and harden and you can scoop it off. (Refrigerate the vegetables and the chicken separately.) Serve the soup plain or with the vegetables (cut them up) and chicken (remove the meat from the bones and cut it up).
Some Grandmothers insist that you add egg noodles to the soup, but we never did. Others take the traditional recipe and add the matzah ball to it and voila! You have a hearty bowl of Jewish Matza Ball penicillin. We love to serve it with a warm loaf of crusty bread and tear chunks of it and dip it into the soup. This amazing recipe was taken from https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/lily-vails-old-fashioned-chicken-soup/. Bon Appetit and Shabbat Shalom!
