London Larder: Jewish chicken soup and lokshen Equally contentious is to how it should be served: as a clear broth, discarding both chicken and veg; with just the chicken or just the veg; or my family's favourite - served with everything. This recipe was passed down to me by my mother and to her by her mother. As every Jewish person will agree, their mother's chicken soup is the best! Chicken soup and lokshen This makes about 15 adult portions 2 chicken carcasses (preferably tied in a muslin or net bag); or if you can not find carcasses, 1 small whole chicken (traditionally a boiling fowl is used, but I find the flavour a little strong and the meat a little stringy) 4 large carrots, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces 3-4 large sticks celery, chopped into 1-inch pieces 2 large or 3 medium parsnips, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces 2 large onions, peeled and left whole 5 litres cold water Salt and pepper (if your child is under 12 months, omit entirely or reduce amount) 1 tbsp or 1 cube of chicken stock powder (if your child is under 12 months omit entirely or reduce amount) Lokshen (easily found in the kosher section of your local supermarket) or vermicelli broken up into small pieces is traditionally used. However, when feeding children who are at the stage when inevitably more food falls on to the floor then into their mouths, then small pasta (macaroni) is the best accompaniment, as it is much less tricky and sticky to remove from the floor. You will need a very large pan. Place the carcasses or chicken in the pan and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a gentle simmer and remove all the scum that rises to the surface. Add all the vegetables, salt and pepper and leave on a gentle simmer for at least six hours, preferably nearer to eight. About one hour before the end of cooking, add the stock powder or cube (if using), taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. If an excessive amount of water has evaporated during cooking, then replace with freshly boiled water. However, do this slowly, constantly tasting, as you do not want to dilute the flavour of your soup. Remove the carcass or chicken from the soup and separate the meat from the bones. If using a whole chicken, cut the meat into small but rugged pieces. If using a carcass, you will need to use your hands to remove the meat, as it is stuck too close to the bones to remove effectively with a utensil. Discard the bones and any skin and put the chicken back in the soup. Boil the pasta (lokshen) according to the instructions on the packet. I find it best to keep pasta separate and place it in the bowl before adding a ladle of soup, vegetables and chicken on top. Adding the pasta to the soup pan will turn the soup cloudy, but it doesn't really matter, and the choice is yours. For smaller babies, you can blend the soup either to a smooth puree, if at the beginning stages of weaning, or leave lumps if they are slightly older. At about 7.5 months I tend to just mash the solids quite roughly as I find the earlier you introduce your children to larger lumps (so long as the food is soft and can be easily mushed by your baby in his or her mouth) the more quickly the transition to eating solid food. Feel free to cut the recipe in half. If you do halve the recipe, I would use ¾ of the suggested amount of vegetables and ½ the amount of chicken/carcass If you do not want to use salt for your child but you would like to eat a more tasty soup, then at stage 4 of the recipe's method, you can remove some soup and vegetables and perhaps one of the carcasses for your child into another pan and season the soup you wish to keep for adults.