Hungarian Chicken and Kohlrabi Soup

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             FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to reader Josef Baron for this tale of a chef who has perhaps
spent a little too much time in the kitchen:

A group of world-class chefs were at Vincenzo's famous trattoria
outside Rome. They sat around a table talking, listening to the tall
tales told by their most esteemed colleague, Luigi, who's 90th
birthday was the reason for the get together. Luigi regaled them with
anecdotes about famous and foolish clients but every time a young
long-legged waitress wearing a micro-skirt passed by, he would stop
speaking and look at her wistfully. It was embarrassing and finally
Vincenzo, speaking for all of them, said, "Luigi! You're an old man,
why are you looking at that young girl that way?"

Luigi shook his head sadly, and muttered, "You see those legs on her?
Do you know how many portions of osso buco one can make from them?"

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             TODAY'S RECIPE
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I believe that every culture on Earth has its own version of chicken
soup, and Hungary is no exception. Here is one of the many
traditional chicken soup recipes the Magyars favor.

Hungarian Chicken and Kohlrabi Soup (Kalarabeleves)

3 lbs (1350 g) chicken pieces
2 whole onions, peeled
8 cups (2 L) chicken stock or water, or combination of the two
4 medium kohlrabies, cut into 1/2-inch (1 cm) dice
2 Tbs (30 ml) butter
2 Tbs (30 ml) all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Place the chicken pieces, onions, and liquid in a large pot and bring
to a boil over high heat. Skim off the surface scum, reduce the heat,
and simmer until the chicken is tender, about 40 minutes. Transfer
the chicken pieces to a bowl and strain the liquid, pressing on the
onions to extract as much liquid as possible before discarding them.
Skim off the fat on the surface and return the liquid to the pot. Add
the kohlrabies and simmer over low heat. Meanwhile, remove the meat
from the chicken and add it to the pot, discarding the bones and skin.
Simmer until the kohlrabies are tender, about 20 minutes. Melt the
butter in a small pan over moderate heat and stir in the flour. Cook,
stirring frequently, until the flour is light brown. Whisk the flour
mixture into the soup and cook until the soup thickens slightly.
Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped
parsley. Serves 6 to 8.
Received on Wed Nov 5 06:53:51 2003