New York and especially it's largest borough Brooklyn have the largest Jewish population in the United States. While there was no direct impact from World War II on the Jewish population numbers, Jews in the United States found many communities on both sides of many debates. Today, more than 9% of the total New York population is Jewish, and many of them live in Brooklyn. The exact population is estimated between 1,750,000 and 2,000,000.

There is no population in the world that uses Jewish Penicillin recipes with a greater verve than the Jewish community. The high Jewish population means authentic chicken soup recipes handed down from one generation to the next. Sometimes these recipes are used to treat colds in pregnancy and other times they are served as main dishes with Matzo balls and crusty breads.

INGREDIENTS

3 ½ lb roasting chicken
Large yellow onion, chopped
8 whole carrots, peeled and chopped
1 parsnip, chopped coarse
3 garlic cloves, smashed
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 large bunch dill, fresh and chopped
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Place a large stock pot on the stove.
2. Lay the chicken in the pot breast side down.
3. Cover the chicken with cold water to three inches from the top of the pot.
4. Throw the celery, dill, onion, carrot and parsnip into the pot.
5. Turn the pot on medium and allow to cook with the lid partially covering the pot.
6. The soup needs to cook for two hours.
7. At no time should the soup come to a boil.
8. As fat collects on the surface of the soup, skim away.
9. Add the smashed cloves of garlic to the pot and cook for two more hours.
10. Remove the chicken from the pot and take off the skin.
11. Shred the chicken and return to the broth.
12. Serve with Matzo balls if desired.