Chicken Soup or Jewish Penicillin by Hanka Zemanova

Chicken soup is simply a miracle. A strong broth is a real life booster, as our grandmothers knew very well. If something bothers you, put the chicken in a pot, add garlic, ginger and shallots and prepare a healthy elixir according to Hanka Zemanova’s recipe.

Chicken broth has been used since ancient times in many cultures as a home remedy and tonic. MD Michaela Šimková recommends, among other things, because it contains vitamin D and can form glutathione in the liver, which is one of the most powerful antioxidants. If you want to boost its antibiotic effect and serve it as a remedy for colds and flu, prepare a dish with a freshly minced garlic clove, a finely chopped shallot, and a teaspoon of fresh ginger juice and pour hot chicken broth over everything. When you eat it, go sweat and relax in bed. The powerhouse blend of chicken broth, fresh garlic, shallots and ginger is a medicine that fortifies the body against viruses and bacteria.

preparation process

1. Place a washed whole or quartered chicken, including guts and claws gutted, in a large enamel saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to a very slow boil.

2. Once foam begins to form on the surface, scoop it up with a small ladle or flat stainless steel strainer. However, when cooking chicken, foam is formed much less often than when cooking meat broth. Sometimes it does not foam.

3. When foam no longer forms, add vegetables, cut into larger pieces, and spices.

4. Reduce the heat to the absolute minimum, so that the broth simmers below the boiling point for about 3-4 hours. (Author’s note: I usually don’t cover the pot with a lid, so that the broth doesn’t start to boil under the lid. This is especially true when I’m letting it simmer on the stove, as the strength of the fire changes. When I boil the broth in the oven at about 110°C, I cover it with the lid .)

5. Add salt later, only in the second half of the drawing.

6. When the chicken is done, turn off the heat, remove the chicken, and leave the broth for a while. Then filter it carefully through a fine sieve. Do not add boiled vegetables to the soup. You can drink the broth on its own immediately after cooking.

7. Peel the meat and cut it into smaller pieces. Before serving, salt the broth and briefly boil small pieces of fresh vegetables, always put something green on the plate, parsley or chives in season, finely chopped green leeks in winter, and finely chopped nettles steamed in spring or autumn.

The recipe has been edited, and the author’s version can be found in the book Rytmus roku with Hanka Zemanová.

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