The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Chicken Soup

SOUPerb – Oh so Fresh Soups to Go!

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By Jessica Stern & Annabel Levin 

During the winter months, soup will warm you up! With its legendary power to nourish, heal and bring comfort during challenging times, soup lifts your spirits when you’re sad, sick, or just plain cold. To brave these last few weeks of winter, we are proud to present our choices for excellent ‘Soups to Go’ from your favorite area eateries.

ARMONK

At Armonk Country Kitchen a container of Pasta Faioli soup exceeded our expectations but do add a dash of salt–if that’s your preference. The tomato base was radiant with color. Like our last Pasta Fagioli, it contained kidney beans, onion, calamari noodles, and a bit of garlic, all complementing each other beautifully–a satisfying and filling soup.

BRIARCLIFF MANOR

At Briarcliff Market and Deli, its stand out flavorful chicken soup broth had a rich, healthy, yellow color to it with ample servings of celery, onion, carrots, noodles, and chicken. Ask for extra vegetables and noodles if you prefer a chunkier serving, the staff is happy to oblige.

CHAPPAQUA

At our visit to Chappaqua Village Market, we chose a gluten free Butternut Squash Soup to sample. A savory blend of yams, apples, onions, olive oil, various spices, and, of course, butternut squash, this soup will also keep the doctor away! This soup’s appeal is in its vibrant color and a smooth and silky consistency. Delicious served either hot or cold, it’s the perfect starter to any meal.

Our go-to deli, Lange’s Little Store and Delicatessen, never disappoints. The broth of a timeless classic, Chicken Noodle Soup, was chock full of vegetables and plenty of chicken and noodles. We found a nice balance of seasoning–on the sweeter, less salty side. The noodles were cooked to perfection. We will definitely be returning for more!

For a third Chappie soup, we tasted the Chicken Soup with Orzo from the fairly new Mexcellent Deli. This complex soup contained ample amounts of chicken, orzo, carrot, potato, squash, onion, and more! Its rich broth had a nice yellow tint–a very appealing quality in a chicken soup. With a few less vegetables – and more orzo and chicken – this soup could have been a top contender for our favorite!

MOUNT KISCO

If you’re looking for a warm, hearty, and filling soup, try the Pasta Fagioli at A&S Italian Deli. Compared to lighter soups such as Chicken Noodle or Butternut Squash, this soup is rich with flavor and can be a stand-alone meal. We appreciated its savory tomato base accompanied by white kidney beans, Ditalini noodles, onions, garlic, hot chili flakes, and pancetta. Pop into the microwave to hit a perfect temperature and enjoy a substantial, delicious, and comforting meal.

PLEASANTVILLE

At Root to Rise, a fully plant-based café, aims to use ‘food as medicine’ through their healthy, traditional, and locally sourced food. We very much enjoyed their Khichadi soup for its considerable chunkiness containing several different kinds of lentils, rice, vegetables, and multitude of spices: including but not limited to cumin and turmeric.

We do confess our favorite soup came from Frank and Joe’s Italian Deli. We ordered Chicken Soup with Rice. While this is one of the more basic soups we tried, it clearly incorporated all the flavors for a fresh, homemade tasting soup and a perfect ratio of vegetables and broth. The veggies were cooked to perfection and not too mushy which can happen in soups when they sit in a heated container for too long. We also found unusual soup vegetables – such as corn and peas – a nice addition of interesting textures and flavors.

Soup can truly be the ultimate cure for the winter blues. Like a culinary hug warming you from the inside out, the soups we tried appeal to all different palates, so they have you covered no matter what you’re looking for. So, get out there and nourish the body and soul with a satisfying bowl of soup from one of your favorite local spots! Be sure to tell them that Jessica & Annabel sent you.

Jessica Stern and Annabel Levin are juniors at Horace Greeley High School where both are also columnists for the Greeley Voice. In their spare time, Jessica swims for the Girls Varsity Swim team and Annabel enjoys travelling and spending time with friends.

Ode to Chicken Soup: COVID, Be Gone

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Chicken soup saved me through a bout with COVID in December. I was a vaccinated, boosted COVID virgin who hadn’t experienced so much as a sniffle through this pandemic. All the vaccine precautions combined with masking and social distancing, and Empty Nest living, kept me safe, I’m certain. At some point however, COVID weary fatigue kicked in. I had begun to assume a distinct air of COVID invincibility, many of you know it, a sense of “Well, if it hasn’t got me yet, maybe I have a special immunity to it.” Then, boom, the alien virus, forever mutating (was it Delta, Alpha or Omicron that got me?) settled on a new unlucky host–me–following travel to Spain and Morocco to visit my son. I had made travel plans as soon as I could to visit my son abroad, shelving any lingering pandemic fears.

But I return to Chicken Soup. My main purpose in writing this is to confirm its reputation as ‘Jewish Penicillin’. In the immediate days following testing positive, I dreamed of cooking a great big batch, but admittedly I was too sick–with COVID striking from multiple ends of my compromised human being. This bug is still no joke, au contraire, and I’m not here to make light of it, truly, so I digress to add that no one on Facebook seemed particularly phased by my ‘I’m Sick with COVID’ announcement. The comments were soft and understated, of the ‘Feel Better!’ variety versus ‘OMG, Grace, we are praying for you!’–utterly unsatisfying! We have entered a period of the COVID blahs and blues versus the dire stage of everyone rushing to write their wills. I felt cheated of more angst-ridden responses.

Despite my COVID barely impressing anyone, I was duly concerned for myself as it peaked. I chatted with friends who still had a healthy respect for COVID’s wrath, and one friend loaned me her oximeter to track my oxygen level. It became a favorite past time! When a low fever kicked in, I also called my doc to ask him if I could die. I asked about PaxelIAmLivid (the I got COVID after being vaccinated and boosted drug). From his voice mail, I knew he would not be whipping out his prescription pad. “You’re a healthy older woman, not elderly, and without any underlying conditions. But if you want to discuss it, let me know.” A pause followed. “If it gets bad though, go to an emergency room.” Because clearly, he was not coming anywhere near me. I was on my own.

In the immediate aftermath of my breaking news, a couple dear friends brought over containers of Chicken Soup from local places (one wellness package included a bottle of red wine, which would come in handy). The donated soup, pretty good and much appreciated, was gone after a couple repeat episodes of Handmaid’s Tale. As any Jewish mother knows, I needed bottomless pots of my homemade broth to drown the sucker! I also didn’t want to die of COVID with a dipping portfolio exacerbated by food inflation, on account of too many soup deliveries. I plotted my chance to brew my own for totally indulgent personal consumption and for considerable cost savings too.

Finally, following a supermarket delivery of the key ingredients, I rolled up my pajama sleeves, and at long last, prepared my own personal Pot. I readied myself for continuous ingestion to surely zap this unwelcome invader.

Scrolling social media reels? Interrupted only by slurps of soup. Addressing emails after my away message went away? Great big bowl of soup. During episode 7 of Fleishman is in Trouble? Two big bowls. I desperately wanted Claire Danes to feel better, too, and would have loved to have shared some soup with her.

I am happy to report that my efforts were worthwhile. Chicken Soup soothed me, nurtured me, and I firmly believe fast forwarded my illness. Did it cure me? I’m not sure, as the aftermath of COVID has continued in the form of a chronic cough and chest congestion. Still, a firm believer that eventually My Soup will assume a final victory, I continue to whip up batches. In Chicken Soup, I trust. I am completely and unequivocally indebted to this miracle bird when it is infused with the healing ingredients from nature’s bounty.

My broth’s slurp worthy secrets were inspired in me, by my mother, and grandmother, and from generations of long-suffering ancestors who understood the value of a Chicken centuries before I ever did. The real COVID Buster in my story, however, was my own modern-day spin on Mom’s recipe–fistfuls of chopped garlic and ginger and mad dashes of turmeric, and a splash of that gifted red wine, too.

A few people have asked for the recipe. Apologies, but I am holding it hostage for a sizeable ransom. Still, if I’m deluged with letters asking, I’ll consider publishing it in the May/June edition. Or perhaps send your own favorite (& healing) soup recipe! Write to Grace@insidepress.com with the subject line: Ode to Chicken Soup.

Janet Franco’s Abuela’s Cuban Kosher Chicken Soup

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Janet Franco  PHOTO by Donna Mueller

Recipe Notes from Janet Franco

“My husband was born in Cuba and came to the U.S. as a refugee at the age of four. When I met him, he was in medical school and I was a dancer in college. I couldn’t believe he was a Spanish-speaking Jewish person. My family is of Eastern European Jewish ancestry. Over the years, I have learned to embrace the beautiful customs and foods of his heritage. We typically break Yom Kippur fast with this soup, accompanied by garlic bread and lemonade. When the pressure cooker starts rocking and I feel the pangs of hunger and smell the delicious soup that I’ve watched my mother-in-law make all these years, I am filled with a wonderful sensation of all our cultures coming together in a perfect way.

The warming, delicious flavors fill me and link me to generations of families who have overcome so many obstacles to live in this great country. His family came from Spain to Turkey to Cuba to the U.S., and my family from the Polish ghettos to concentration camps to Ellis Island. As our family expands with the introduction of our Greek daughter-in-law, I look forward to seeing our food traditions expand as we embrace and connect with each other around the table.”

Abuela’s Cuban Kosher Chicken Soup

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves: 8-10

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
12 cups water or low sodium chicken broth
1 large gold potato, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 cup dried fideo pasta
1 ½ tablespoons chicken bouillon
1 envelope achiote sazón (optional)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1.5 pounds bone-in chicken (legs and thighs), cooked
3 corn cobs, sliced in 4 pieces
1 large carrot, chopped
Lime juice
Fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions

Heat oil in a large 5-quart pot over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Stir in tomato sauce and cook for 8 minutes. Add water or chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add potato, celery and fideo pasa. Season with bouillon, achiote (if using) and cumin. Cook for 15 minutes or until potato begins to soften. Add chicken, corn, and carrot. Cook for 10 minutes more or until carrot is al dente. Serve with a squeeze of lime juice and a cilantro.

Pressure cooker directions

Place all ingredients except fideo, lime juice and cilantro in a pressure cooker. Add water just above half-full. Cook on high for 8 minutes. Quick-release pressure. Add fideo pasta and cook for 3 minutes on high. Release pressure naturally. Serve with a squeeze of lime juice and cilantro.

Editor’s Note: Janet Franco’s recipe, Abuela’s Cuban Kosher Chicken Soup, is also featured in the recipe e-book, The Stories of Our Table, by celebrity chef Pati Jinich and the not for profit, Stand Together.