Forevermamas Heirloom Portuguese Watercress Chicken Soup Recipes

PORTUGUESE CHICKEN SOUP (CANJA)

Steps:

• Combine the chicken stock, chicken pieces, onion, parsley, and lemon zest in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer covered until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.
• Remove the chicken pieces and cool enough to handle. Remove and discard the skin and bones and cut or tear the meat into small pieces.
• Strain the soup through cheesecloth (muslin) and discard the solids. Return the stock and meat to the pot and add the rice, mint, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes.
• Garnish with lemon slices and mint leaves.

FOREVERMAMA'S HEIRLOOM PORTUGUESE WATERCRESS CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• Place large pot over med. heat. Once pan is hot enough, add butter or olive oil until it is heated, being careful not to burn butter. Add chopped onions and sauté for 5 minutes, until translucent.
• Add chicken pieces to brown. (This will bring out the flavor). Be careful not to burn onions.
• Add water to cover about 2-3" above chicken pieces, adding more or less water as needed. Add chicken bouillon and barley. Let water come to a boil. Reduce heat leaving lid slightly ajar. Simmer for 1 hour; adding water as needed and if necessary; remove scum and extra grease that might come to top of broth. Taste for salt and add if needed while cooking.
• Once chicken and barley are tender, using tongs, remove chicken pieces to a colander, placing a plate under colander in order to catch juices.
• Place chicken pieces onto a cutting board; cut chicken off of bone, cutting meat in 1" pieces; discarding bone and tough membrane.
• Place chicken pieces and any juice left in plate drained from colander back into pot.
• Add chopped watercress and let simmer for 15-20 minutes until just tender with a very slight crisp.
• Remove pot off of burner and drizzle lemon juice over all; mixing it in with wooden spoon; adjust with more or less lemon according to taste.
• NOTE 1: Be careful not overdo lemon because it can over power soup. Also, do not overcook watercress or it will lose some of its flavor by overcooking it too long. The barley can be substituted with rice or with small pasta stars. If using rice or pasta, add to the end of the cooking process (about 15 minutes before end of cooking).
• NOTE 2: For a good product, please don't substitute by using chicken breast. The thigh and drumstick are more flavorful. The bone also adds flavor to the broth creating a tastier end product. Of course, you may choose to use breast meat, but the result won't be the same.

SAUERBRATEN

Steps:

• Place roast into a large pan; pour buttermilk over roast to completely cover it.
• Add onion, bay leafs, and whole allspice to buttermilk.
• Cover marinating bowl with cheesecloth and let stand at room temperature for 18 to 24 hours, then place in refrigerator to marinate for an additional 3 to 4 days, turning the roast occasionally.
• Remove roast from marinate, discard marinade, wash, and pat dry.
• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Heat beef stock.
• In large heavy Dutch oven heat oil on high and brown roast on all sides.
• Add hot beef stock to browned roast and place in oven.
• Bake for@ 2 1/2 hours.
• Turn of oven.
• Remove Dutch oven from oven, remove roast from Dutch oven, put roast on platter and return to warm oven, Place Dutch on high heat, mix water and cornstarch together and stir enough mixture into boiling drippings to achieve sauce consistency to your liking.
• Remove Dutch oven from heat, remove roast from warm oven.
• Stir sour cream into sauce.
• Slice roast and ladle some sauce over roast.
• Serve with Half and Half potato dumplings and sweet and sour red cabbage.

MOM'S YUM YUM BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• For base, lightly butter an 8 inch square baking dish. In a bowl, using a fork, stir flour with sugar. Work in butter until coarse crumbs form. Press over bottom of buttered dish. Bake in centre of oven until light golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove, but leave oven on.
• While base is baking, in a small bowl, using a fork, stir flour with salt and baking powder. In a large bowl, whisk eggs. Using a wooden spoon, stir in sugar and vanilla until evenly mixed. Then stir in walnuts, cherries, coconut and flour mixture. Spread over warm base. Bake in centre of oven until topping is golden and slightly jiggly, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Remove to a rack to cool at least 1 hour before cutting into bars. Bars cut best after refrigerating overnight. Refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 1 month.

POLISH CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• Cover the chicken with water in a stock pot and bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, skimming the protein foam that forms.
• After the foam has subsided, add the bouillon, curry powder, allspice and bay leaf; simmer uncovered, for 2 hours.
• Remove the chicken and allow to cool.
• Remove the allspice and bay leaf with a slotted spoon and discard.
• Add the onion, carrots and celery to the stock and simmer for another hour or until the vegetables are tender.
• Once the chicken is cooled, remove skin and bones and discard; add the meat to the stock.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Add the parsley; stir.
• Serve with egg noodles.
• Note: I like to serve the noodles seperately and let each person ladle the soup over their noodles, for I find that if you mix the noodles into the soup, it eventually sucks up all the broth.