Recipe By Brynie Greisman
This recipe appears here by popular demand. I serve it every year on Rosh HaShanah, Succos, and sometimes even on Purim, and there’s never any left. This is one of those recipes that started out with a little bit of this and little bit of that and has evolved over the years. I hope I’ve successfully recreated it. You can change quantities of everything according to taste and preference. It’s very heimish!
Sauté the onions and garlic in a large pot (minimum 6 quart/ liter). After a few minutes, add the celery and green pepper and continue sautéing until golden, adding the mushrooms toward the end.
Add the chicken wings and necks and sprinkle generously with garlic powder and paprika. Cook for approximately 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The chicken will release its juices while it cooks.
Meanwhile, prepare a meatball mixture (use your favorite recipe; I add one egg per pound of meat, a generous amount of ketchup, bread crumbs, seasoned bread crumbs, and sautéed onions, if I have the time) and form small balls, dropping them into the pot.
When all of the meatballs are added, add the tomato sauce and water just to cover. Bring to a boil.
Lower the flame and add, to taste, a generous squeeze or three of ketchup, lemon juice (approximately two tablespoons), brown sugar (approximately 1/4 cup), salt, and pepper. Cook for one and a half hours. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
This freezes beautifully and can be doubled easily.
Serve over rice, couscous, toast, or mashed potatoes. You can also serve in cigar dough (In Israel, "alei sigar") — just form the dough into bowls and bake or fry.
After adding the meatballs, cover with water as above. Then add a LOT of ketchup, French dressing, and brown sugar to taste.
Photography: Daniel Lailah
Styling: Michal Leibowitz
