Being pregnant is hard enough on the body without having to fight colds in pregnancy. For more than 100 years, grandmothers have been serving Jewish Penicillin or chicken soup to pregnant women and children to fight colds in pregnancy.

The recipes may differ from one family to the next, but that does not take away from the effectiveness of this simple healing soup.

The Jewish population in Norway reached a little more than 2,000 in the 1930s. The Holocaust reduced those numbers significantly to just more than 500. Today, the Jewish population is strong due to government restitution granted in the late 1990s. The restitution recognized the effect of the Holocaust on the Jewish population and paid individuals compensation for crimes committed. The rest of the money was used to support the current Jewish community. Today there are about 1,500 Jews in Norway with numbers on the rise.

INGREDIENTS

1 qt chicken stock
3 tbsp butter
1 leek, cleaned with white portion sliced thin
1 carrot, peeled and diced small
¼ cup parsnip, peeled and diced small
3 tbsp flour
2 tart apples, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 ½ cups chicken, cooked and diced

DIRECTIONS

1. Place a large stock pot on the stove and heat on medium.
2. Pour chicken stock into the pot.
3. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
4. Add leek, parsnip, and carrot.
5. Saute for six (6) minutes.
6. The vegetables should be soft but not browned.
7. Add flour to the vegetables and stir well.
8. Cook for five (5) more minutes.
9. Pour vegetable / flour mixture into the broth and stir fast.
10. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes while the soup thickens.
11. Put apples and chicken into the pot. Cook for 10 more minutes.
12. Season as desired.