Matzo Ball Soup
Disclaimer: I am not Jewish and just as I might be skeptical of a non-Italian trying to teach me about sauce, I understand if you are skeptical of my matzo ball soup skills. I do not claim to be an expert, but I was married to a Jewish man for over 10 years and embraced the food with relish and hung on to the holiday culinary traditions for our children’s sake to this day. He did not teach me how to make Jewish food, rather Joan Nathan did and I highly recommend her book, Joan Nathan’s Jewish Holiday Cookbook. Perhaps my favorite dish is Matzo Ball Soup, although this recipe is my own invention, inspired by the old Second Ave Deli. It is so comforting and delicious that everyone should make and eat it, regardless of religion. As Gilda Radner used to say, “You don’t have to be Jewish, but it wouldn’t hurt.”
Ingredients:
§ Olive oil
§ 1 white onion, diced
§ 4 carrots, peeled and diced
§ 4 stalks celery, cleaned and diced
§ 4 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on
§ 1 bay leaf
§ Salt and pepper
§ 1 tablespoon dill, fresh or dried
§ 1 package Manischewitz matzo ball mix, not the soup mix (or you can take matzo sheets and grind them in a blender or food processor to a mix that is the consistency or cornmeal-not quite a powder-you’ll need ½ cup)
§ 2 eggs
§ 2 tablespoons club soda (only if using ground matzo and not the boxed mix)
§ 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or schmaltz, softened
§ Optional: 2-3 chicken bouillon cubes, small pasta such as pastina, orzo or ancini di pepe
Instructions:
In a medium soup pot, slick the bottom with olive oil and add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until starting to soften, stirring often. Add the chicken and cover with water. Add the bay leaf, salt and pepper and dill. Let the soup simmer for an hour. Taste and adjust for seasonings. Note: This is a short cut method. You can use a whole chicken, but for a quicker meal, try this method, the results are just as good, you just get no white meat.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the 2 eggs with the oil or schmaltz. Add the matzo mix and mix with a fork until fully combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 mins. If using ground matzo instead of the mix, add 2 tablespoons club soda to the mix.
Make 1 inch balls out of the matzo meal mixture, formed with wet hands. Drop them in one by one-you should wind up with about 7-8. Cover the soup and simmer on low for a good 20 minutes. Every few minutes go in there and lightly stir and rotate the matzo balls so they get fully basted.
Optional: while the soup is cooking, make a tiny soup pasta such as orzo or pastina. You don’t want something to overshadow the matzo balls so don’t use a larger noodle. This is just to make the soup that much more unforgettable. Cook this pasta in heavily salted water so it contributes flavor to the soup, doesn’t take it away. Drain when done and set aside.
Ladle a scoop of pasta into a soup bowl, then a ladle of broth and balls. Plate the chicken thighs and serve on the table with the soup. You can also take the meat off and add it to the soup bowls. Serve with Tam Tam crackers.
Note: I have to admit I cheat here in two ways. First, as I have already stated, I use the Manischewitz matzo ball mix (NOT the soup mix), because why ruin a good thing? But second, to give my soup a little boost, I add 1-2 Knorr chicken bouillon cubes. Were I making Italian chicken soup, I would add tomatoes and a Parmigiano Reggiano cheese rind, but I am working with limited ingredients and time here so I throw in the bouillon. This is of course optional and if you soup doesn’t need it, leave it out. I also cook the pasta in a bouillon. Flavor all around.
