[Homesteadingfamily] OT: Hungarian Chicken Feet Soup

From a dear friend..

Jeanne

http://community.webshots.com/user/atasetofcreole

http://atasteofcreole.wordpress.com/

"I love marriage as it is great to find that one special person you want to
annoy for the rest of your life." - Rita Rudner

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Hungarian chicken foot soup

June 02, 2009

SUSAN SAMPSON

FOOD WRITER

I grew up in a white-bread city eating rye bread - and stuff a helluva lot
stranger. Loved, loved my mom's chicken foot soup.

But after I turned into a teenager, this became a guilty secret. Once, with
a friend at the dinner table, I pretended to be disgusted and refused the
soup. Now I don't care who knows it: I love chicken feet.

My mother, Margaret Horvath, taught me how to make this. Chicken feet are
sold in some butcher shops at ridiculously low prices. They vary greatly in
flavour and quality. Try St. Andrew's Poultry in Kensington Market. The
butcher strips off the tough yellow outer skin. You cut off the nails at
home; just slice the tips of the "toes" right off.

A cubanelle is light green like a banana pepper but mild, with a blunt tip.
To core it, cut off the stem end and trim the veins and seeds inside with
small knife.

Strip the papery peel off the onion, but leave on the smooth, firm brown
peel for golden colour.

Parsley root resembles parsnip, but is more astringent, with a head of
parsley you can use in the soup.

INGREDIENTS

1-3/4 lb (800 g) chicken feet (about 22), washed well in cold water, nails
cut off

10 cups water

1-1/2 tsp or more salt

2 each: large peeled carrots, peeled and trimmed parsley roots, celery
stalks, all cut lengthwise in thirds, thickest ends halved lengthwise

2 small onions, root ends trimmed, papery outer peel only stripped off

1 small tomato

1 cubanelle pepper, trimmed, cored but left whole

1/4 lb (120 g) piece celeriac, peeled

4 large sprigs parsley, tied in bundle with kitchen twine

2 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp each: peppercorns, caraway seeds, sealed together in tea ball or
tied in small square of cheesecloth

1 chicken bouillon cube (optional)

1/4 lb (120 g) fine, very thin egg noodles

Cayenne to taste

DIRECTIONS

Put chicken feet in soup pot. Add water and 1-1/2 teaspoons salt. Bring to
boil on high heat. Immediately reduce heat to low and skim foam. Add
carrots, parsley roots, celery, onions, tomato, cubanelle, celeriac,
parsley, garlic, peppercorns and caraway. Return heat to medium-high and
bring to simmer. Immediately reduce heat to low. Skim if needed. Cover and
simmer 1 hour or until chicken feet are very tender. Crumble in bouillon
cube (if desired). Adjust salt.

Cook noodles in boiling salted water on medium heat until tender but still
firm, about 5 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, strain soup in large colander set over large bowl. Return broth
to pot. Return chicken feet to pot. Cover to keep warm. Reserve carrots,
parsley root and celery on plate. Slice. Cover to keep warm. Discard onions,
tomato, cubanelle, celeriac, parsley, garlic, peppercorns and caraway.

To serve, put noodles in wide, individual bowls. Top with carrots, parsley
root, celery and chicken feet. Ladle broth over top. Sprinkle with cayenne.

Makes about 14 cups.

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