New York Times

Soup for Good Souls, Jewish or Otherwise
March 13, 2009

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Soup’s On! (And It’s Not Your Grandmother’s)

Do the Jews have a claim on chicken soup?

A mock court once thought so, ruling that chicken soup deserved the title of “Jewish penicillin.” (The opposing side argued that the soup belonged to everyone, and that Greeks, Italians and Chinese could all claim to use chicken soup in time of illness.)

And chicken soup may actually indeed have elixir-type properties for a cold (not just the soul). A 2000 study found that chicken soup (a recipe passed down from a Lithuanian grandmother) inhibited the movement of neutrophils, the most common type of white blood cell that defends against infection, which may reduce upper respiratory cold symptoms.

So while many a chicken soup recipe has been passed down from Jewish grandmothers, some felt it was time for the soup to be updated — time to move past garlic, noodles, carrots and matzo balls. The organizers of a national chicken soup contest urged contestants to think progressively in the “Better Than Your Bubby’s” soup competition. (”Bubby” is how the contest organizers spelled it; we prefer “Bubbe.”)

“It’s something that is traditional, but can be made new for every generation,” said Ilya Welfeld, a spokeswoman for the National Jewish Outreach Program, which sponsored the contest.

The soup was a metaphor for the Jewish-American experience and the core mission of the organization. “Just as we pass the recipes on for generation to generation, we pass the Jewish heritage from generation to generation,” said Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald, the director of the program. (The group’s latest approach in outreach: Twittering at @jewishtweets.)

Hundreds of recipes came in, with ingredients like peppercorn, couscous, sweet potato, barley, seltzer. (No cream though, as the recipes had to be kosher, but soy milk was O.K.) There was the Mexican chicken soup, Tunisian chicken soup, Asian fusion chicken soup, Hungarian “sweet and spicy” chicken soup. The also reflected a range of new world and old world cooking. One of the finalist recipes, for example, included a line to “remove any feathers.”

A panel of seven judges sampled the finalists.

The five recipe finalists were sampled on Thursday afternoon at Abigael’s on Broadway by a panel of seven judges that included Jeff Nathan, the owner of Abigael’s, and Jamie Geller, who has been called the “Jewish Rachael Ray.”

The winner of the last contest, Rosaley Himmelstein, arrived but declared she was loathe to give up her title as the Queen of Chicken Soup, which she has had for five years.

“What are my grandchildren going to say: ‘My grandmother used to make the best chicken soup?’” said Ms. Himmelstein, who puts her trophy out on her table when she has guests.

The five finalists were Michael Cohen of Los Angeles; Jackie Gregston of Hallsville, Tex.; Wolfgang Hanau of West Palm Beach; Elizabeth Kratz of Bergenfield, N.J.; and Diane Nemitz of Ludington, Mich. (Not all the finalists are Jewish.) The winner not only received glory (with the recipe disseminated as part of Shabbat Across America), but also a free trip to Israel, among other prizes.

Only one of the finalists made it to Abigael’s: Ms. Kratz, who had submitted what she called “Hungarian sweet and spicy chicken soup.” The creation was inspired by her husband’s parents, Hungarian Holocaust survivors who had moved to Vienna.

“For Hungarians, paprika is one of their four food groups,” she said. “It adds a complexity to the recipe that you wouldn’t have in a tradition soup.”

Ms. Kratz offered to summarize the importance of chicken soup to Jews in America. “Chicken soup is a symbol,” she said. “It’s a symbol of a mother’s comfort and a mother’s love.”

The judges sipped and sampled the soups, which were made by restaurant staff members. Then, they rated the soups on equal parts appearance, creativity and flavor from a scale from 1 to 5.

The winner was “D,” a recipe called “Elat chicken soup,” by Mr. Cohen, which included English cucumber, eggplant, all-spice, tumeric and cumin.

“I’ve never seen a chicken soup done that way before and it still be called chicken soup,” said Ms. Keller, who awarded Mr. Cohen’s soup a 5 for creativity but a 1 for appearance. “There was a lot going on.”

This reporter tasted the soup, which had a very Middle Eastern flare to it, and agreed that there indeed was a lot going on.

The announcement was made by phone to Mr. Cohen, 31, who lives in Hollywood and writes music for film, television and video games. He said he started cooking up a storm when he got his own place a few years ago, and had entered a number of recipe contests. The chicken soup was an Israeli-inspired recipe that he had created himself.

“Is he single?” a woman in the audience asked when his bio was read.

“I am,” Mr. Cohen replied on the telephone.

“Tell him one of the prizes is being set up,” the woman said.

Another Jewish tradition, which also evolves while staying the same.

Jewish Standard

Outreach Group Soups up Shabbat
March 20, 2009
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Chicken soup has long been called Jewish penicillin. There’s just something about the golden elixir that cries out Yiddishkeit, which is what the National Jewish Outreach Program banked on with its “Better Than Your Bubby’s” chicken soup contest last week.

The contest was a lead-in for NJOP’s annual Shabbat Across America, a national program to be held tonight at almost 600 synagogues, to introduce unaffiliated Jews to the basics of Shabbat. The winning soup recipe was to be distributed among the participating shuls, including at least eight in this area, in time for the dinner.

Elizabeth Kratz’s Hungarian Sweet and Spicy Chicken Soup was a runner-up in last week’s “Better Than Your Bubby’s” chicken soup contest. PHOTO by Jerry Szubin

Last Thursday, Jeff Nathan, head chef at Abigael’s in New York, prepared recipes from five finalists and judges crowned Michael Cohen of Los Angeles the winner. The East Coast got some respect, though, as Elizabeth Kratz of Bergenfield was named a runner-up for her Hungarian Sweet and Spicy Chicken Soup, a dish she said she’s been working on for about a year.

“I’ve been told my chicken soup recipe was good and possibly unique and special but I didn’t know for sure,” Kratz told The Jewish Standard last Friday.

Her recipe includes three types of peppers. While cayenne pepper brings “a little bit of bite” to the soup, the paprika adds a little sweetness. Kratz said her husband Alexander and his Hungarian parents were the inspiration for the recipe.

“Hungarians see paprika as one of the four food groups,” Kratz said. “It’s kind of true. My husband loves the sweet spiciness of the soup.”

This was Kratz’s first foray into competitive cooking — and, she said, likely her last. She’s “not really a recipe contest person” and finds herself more interested in simply the appreciation of what she called traditional Jewish recipes.

“I enjoyed the cooking contest aspect of it and I thought the NJOP did an amazing job in terms of publicity and letting people know why chicken soup is a wonderful part of the Jewish tradition,” she said.

A free-lance writer, Kratz said that good writing is the backbone of any good recipe because the chef has to convey its every nuance. She hopes to write a cookbook filled with healthful, classic Jewish recipes with what she called modern twists.

“I’m a big fan of healthy cooking and don’t like to use a lot of fat or sugar in my recipes,” she said.

The five finalists were chosen from more than 70 entries, but while organizers were pleased with the attention the contest garnered, their intent was not just to highlight soup.

Chicken soup is a means to an end, said Rabbi Yitzchak Rosenbaum, associate director of NJOP and a Teaneck resident.

“Chicken soup is universal and yet very particularly Jewish, especially in terms of Friday night Shabbos,” he said.

The first — and until this year the only — chicken soup contest was held five years ago and organizers wanted to capitalize on the wide recognition of the dish. It’s much better known than potato kugel, cholent, or other Shabbat staples. The overarching goal was to garner publicity for Shabbat Across America and draw more people to the Shabbat experience, Rosenbaum said.

“Chicken soup is a vehicle we use to heighten people’s sensitivity to Shabbat,” he said.

Although he was not one of the judges, Rosenbaum did get to taste the soups and thought the two that stood out the most were the winning entry and Kratz’s.

Another contest has not been scheduled, but after the positive feedback from this year’s contest, Rosenbaum said, it could happen.

Jewish Week

Chicken Soup Goes Hollywood

March 19, 2009
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At times like these, with cold temperatures and a bleak economy, everyone can use the nostalgic warmth of chicken soup. With so many recipes out there, probably one for every Jew, the National Jewish Outreach Program set out to find the best, at its second-ever “Better Than Your Bubby’s” Chicken Soup Challenge.

Held at Abigael’s on Broadway last Thursday, the contest featured the top five recipes, chosen from hundreds, expertly prepared by executive chef Jeff Nathan. The contest also highlighted the importance of tradition, of so-called “Jewish penicillin” and of Shabbat, as a way to promote NJOP’s 13th annual Shabbat Across America this weekend.

“For Jews, it’s tradition,” and economical, said Rabbi Yitzchak Rosenbaum, associate director of NJOP. “You can get taste without too much expense. When you made good chicken soup, you still had a chicken to eat. You did your best for Shabbat.”

So what’s wrong with the traditional way? Nothing, Rabbi Rosenbaum said.

“If you’re eating the same thing every week, you get bored,” he said. “Jews absorb [cooking traditions] from surrounding neighborhoods. Even though we love it, we want to add something of our own.”

The finalists’ recipes included a classic recipe, a Hungarian version with paprika and a soup with barley and mushrooms. The winner, Elat Chicken Soup by Michael Cohen, center, of Hollywood, Calif., included many of the traditional ingredients, potato, carrot and dill, as well as chickpeas, cucumber and eggplant.
“I was inspired by the contest, and wanted to do something with an Israeli twist,” said Cohen.
“I bought the ingredients at Elat market, down the street from my house,” hence the name. He wasn’t expecting to win the contest, or the grand prize round-trip ticket to Israel. “Now I’ll have to figure out when to use my ticket.”

Palm Beach Post

Local man a finalist in national chicken soup contest
March 18, 2009

Circulation: 134,350

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West Palm Beach resident Wolfgang Hanau was just named as a finalist in a national search for the best chicken soup recipe in America!

Wolfgang entered the contest with his “Mamma’s Chicken Soup” original recipe.
Originally from Bavaria, Wolfgang, lives in West Palm Beach and has traveled extensively. He and his wife Diana, from the Dominican Republic, are highly conscious of eating foods free of artificial preservatives and chemicals.
Wolfgang sees it as “our possibility to preserve all the natural resources” we have been blessed with. As Wolfgang explores the world, he comes up with creative recipes inspired by regional cuisines.”
The contest is sponsored by the National Jewish Outreach Program just in time for its annual Shabbat Across America/Canada Program to be held around the country on March 20th. The recipes are being unveiled just in time for families planning for Passover.
Here’s his recipe: “Mamma’s Chicken Soup” Wolfgang Hanau, West Palm Beach, FL
Ingredients: 1 large broiler 4 1/2- 5 lbs, cut into 8 pieces 12 cups water, or just enough to cover chicken and vegetables 4 stalks celery with their leaves, cleaned 4 carrots, peeled but left whole 2 parsnips, peeled 2 Kohlrabi, peeled 2 leeks or substitute with a large onion, if leeks are not available 1/2 bunch parsley, leave stems on 1 bunch dill, stems included 2 tablespoons Kosher salt 2 teaspoons white pepper 2 cloves garlic, peeled, but left whole
Wash chicken pieces well and remove any feathers. Pull away any excessive fat . Do not remove the skin, it adds flavor to the soup. Place chicken in a 8-10 qt. soup kettle and add 12 cups cold water. Wash celery and cut each stalk in half crosswise and add to pot. Cut each carrot in half crosswise and then cut down in the middle add these to the pot. Cut the parsnips and Kohlrabi in half lengthwise and add these to the pot. Trim the ends of the leeks , cut in half lengthwise and wash carefully under running cold water, separating the layers to remove all the sand. Cut leeks in half crosswise and add to the pot. Wash parsley and dill and add to pot along with a little salt and pepper and garlic cloves. (Leave the final adjusting in seasoning after the soup is finished.)
Bring to boil and immediately lower heat to a simmer. (The key words to cooking soup is “simmer gently”. A violent boil will make your soup cloudy.) Cook for 10 minutes and skim away the scum that forms on the top. Continue to simmer gently for 1 hour longer. Skim away any fat that has risen to the surface of the soup or degrease the broth in a degreasing pitcher. Of course if you have the time, you can simply chill the soup until the fat congeals and remove it that way.
There are several ways you can serve the chicken soup. My mother would remove the greens and vegetables and the chicken pieces. The soup would be strained to a clear broth and served as its own course with the noodles, Matzo balls or Kreplach. The soup greens would be transformed into delicious latkes and served as a side dish along with the boiled chicken. I like to serve everything together in a large bowl, the broth the veggies, the chicken and throw in a couple of kreplach. I call it “Chicken in a Pot” and there is nothing like it for curing colds, tummy aches or just for a plain bad day.