For many centuries, chicken soup has been used to heal symptoms from sneezing to coughs. From one side of the world to the other, Jewish Penicillin recipes incorporate many familiar flavors and ingredients with a few twists along the way. Polish Jewish Penicillin adds mushrooms, tomato paste and caraway seeds.

Today, there are an estimated 20,000 Jewish people living in Poland with the vast majority residing in Warsaw. Some estimates increase that number to 100,000 or more. However, before World War II there were several million Jews living in Poland. Krakau is the largest Polish city close to Auschwitz, the place of the concentration camp where millions of people including jewish and non-jewish were murdered between 1939 and 1945.

The Jewish community commemorates victims of the Holocaust with many yearly events including Holocaust Remembrance Day and Israel Independence Day. More information on Jewish life in Poland can be found on “The Virtual Shtetl” website.

INGREDIENTS

8 cups water
2 chicken leg quarters
2 mushrooms, dried
2 tb tomato paste
1 carrot, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
½ cabbage, medium
½ lb sauerkraut, rinsed with cold water and drained
1 large onion, quartered
¼ lb Polish sausage
Caraway seeds
Salt
Pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Add chicken leg quarters, vegetables, cabbage, tomato paste, sauerkraut and spices to a large stock pot.
2. Cover with 8 cups water.
3. Heat stock pot to boiling.
4. Fry Polish sausage in a skillet with onion.
5. Add sausage and onion to stock pot.
6. Cook until cabbage is fork soft.
7. Serve.

Sauerkraut, Polish sausage and caraway seeds give a new and exciting flavor to Polish Jewish Penicillin. If salt content or meat is an issue, the Polish sausage can removed Tomato paste can also be replaced with fresh tomatoes is desired. Two tbsp of tomato paste is equivalent to two tomatoes chopped. Dried mushrooms can be removed from stock and julienned as a garnish before serving this version of Jewish Penicillin.

Some women prefer to fight cold in pregnancy with all natural methods and that is exactly what thick Warsaw chicken soup recipe has to offer. Chicken soup is known to relieve cold in pregnancy symptoms, but tastes during pregnancy may differ so women should feel free to eliminate any flavors that may not be comfortable.