ROSOLNYK (Ukrainian chicken soup with cabbage and dill pickles, for six)

For the stock:

one 3 pound chicken (uncooked)

2 medium onions, one unpeeled and quartered, one chopped into 1 inch pieces

2 carrots, scrubbed and cut into 2 inch pieces

2 celery ribs, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 large unpeeled garlic clove smashed

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

3-1/2 quarts water

1 large fresh bay leaf

6 parsley sprigs

2 thyme sprigs

kosher salt

 

For the soup:

2 tablespoon unsalted butter

8 cups chopped green cabbage (1 pound)

1 cup thinly sliced garlic dill pickles (4 ounces)

¼ cup tomato paste

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

freshly ground black pepper

½ cup reserved pickle juice

reserved chicken meat

¼ cup chopped fresh dill plus more for garnish

sour cream, for garnish

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1. In a stockpot, combine the chicken with the water, quartered onion, carrots, celery, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaf, parsley sprigs and thyme sprigs and bring to a boil. Cover partially and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. Discard the skin. Pull the meat off the bones, cut it into ½ inch pieces and refrigerate.

2. Return the bones to the pot, partially cover and simmer for 1 hour, until the broth is richly flavored. Strain the broth into a clean heat proof bowl and rinse out the pot. Return the broth to the pot and boil over moderate heat until reduced to 8 cups, about 30 minutes. Season with salt.

3. In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the cabbage, chopped onion and pickles and cook over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until just softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and paprika and cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper and simmer over moderate heat until the vegetables are very soft, about 20 minutes. Add the chicken, pickle juice and dill and simmer until just heated through.

NOTES:

• If you want to make this with previously cooked chicken: Remove and discard the skin from the cooked bird, pull the meat from the bones and shred it. Cover and refrigerate the meat until you are ready to finish the soup. Place the chicken carcass and bones into a stockpot, along with the water, quartered onion, carrots, celery, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaf, parsley sprigs and thyme sprigs and bring to a boil. Proceed with step 2.

• If your leftover chicken carcass doesn’t have enough meat on it to finish the soup: Buy 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts from your grocery, salt them and add them to the strained stock after you’ve brought it back to a boil in step 2. Reduce the heat to medium and poach the chicken until the juices run clear, about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon to a plate to cool, then shred it. Proceed with step 3.

from Grace Parisi, Food and Wine Magazine, December, 2008