Your Mother In Law's Matzo Ball Soup
Prep Time: 30 mins | Servings: 8 servings for a first course or lunch.
PERFECT FOR: Quarantine Lunches, Passover, Weeknight Comfort Meals
SOUP STORY
I have always been a bit of a food snob about making things from scratch, but every once in a while I eat something that is processed that brings me back to the 70s and is SO SO tasty. Think Entenmann's Cookies, Rolled Pillsbury Cookie Dough, (don’t bother baking—just eat), Ellio’s Frozen Pizza, SpaghettiOs, Twinkies and boxed Lipton Noodle Soup. Something about those very specific flavors reminds me of growing up and gives me comfort….especially the Lipton Noodle Soup-because soup has always kind of been my thing!
I remember my first Passover Seder with my husband’s family on the Upper West Side at my in- laws magical apartment overlooking Central Park. I quickly fell in love with the Passover tradition. The abundant candle light, the purposefully elongated dinner via storytelling and important lessons, the sense of tradition and purpose, the ushering in of spring and alongside it a sense of renewal, and I don’t mind the forced four glasses of wine either. But the pièce de résistance of that meal is for me…you guessed it…the Matzo Ball Soup! I had eaten a few matzo balls in my life but most were like bricks, heavy and sinking in the soup—and frankly, not appetizing at all. But that night changed everything. It began my love affair with my new extended family and with the matzo ball. And so began my quest to learn to make the perfect ball—not an easy feat. My MIL’s matzo balls are always delicious—super light and fluffy and floating gorgeously in the salty broth. Over the years, I can proudly say that I have learned the art of the matzo ball from her and here it is:
DO NOT try anything fancy and DO USE the boxed recipe. My favorite is the Manischewitz Matzo Meal. FOLLOW the boxed recipe EXACTLY,. MAKE SURE you leave in the fridge for 30 minutes before forming the balls and then, most importantly, DO NOT make actual “balls”—touch them lightly and as little as possible. Finally, DO NOT make the stock, as I usually recommend, from scratch. Instead (yes, I am saying it), open that BOX of Lipton Noodle Soup Mix (just do it!) and cook the balls right in the soup, following those boxed directions exactly. To be Kosher for Passover, you don’t want the noodles, so strain those, but it is also delicious with the noodles too. I KNOW it is hard for you home chef’s out there, but TRUST ME. It is all perfect and delicious and it could not be easier. If you can’t find Lipton Soup, because there is a run on it as we sit quarantined from COVID-19, I included my stock recipe below. But just know, IT WON’T be as good. Thank you, Liz Jaffe, for teaching me the art of the matzo ball, the art of simplifying the dinner party and that sometimes, you don’t have to make it from scratch for it to be delicious! Liz, we love you and love your matzo balls to pieces!
INGREDIENTS FOR STOCK (If you must, but again LIPTON NOODLE SOUP BOX recommended!)
2.5 lb Organic Chickens, cut into parts
5 quarts of water
1 Spanish onion, sliced
1 large turnip, large dice
3 large carrots, large dice
3 large celery stocks, large dice
½ bunch dill
½ bunch of thyme
½ bunch of parsley
1 bay leaf
2 cloves of garlic, whole
DIRECTIONS FOR STOCK (STOP. JUST USE THE BOXED!)
Combine all vegetables and sweat with olive oil and salt, 10 mins
Add chicken parts and saute, 10 mins
Add water and herb bunches in cheescloth sacks and simmer for 2 hours minimum, better if all day.
Alternatively-you can roast chickens, remove the meat and set aside for soup and make a stock from the bones. If you do not do this you must be diligent about straining and checking the broth for any bones.
Flavor with salt and pepper to taste and then strain and separate the meat, ensuring to check for bones as you shred the chicken with a fork.
INGREDIENTS FOR LIGHT AND FLUFFY MATZO BALLS
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup of Manischewitz Matzoh Meal
2 tablespoons of water
1 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS FOR MATZOH BALLS
In a bowl, lightly beat eggs, add oil, Manichewitz Matzo Meal. Add water, mix until uniform.
Cover and chill in the fridge, 20-30 minutes.
Remove matzo ball mixture and have a bowl of cool water to moisten your hands. With wet hands, lightly form blobs, not balls, you don’t want them packed or perfectly shaped, around 1 inch in diameter.
Lightly drop the matzoh balls in the broth and allow them to simmer, covered and floating beautifully for about 30 minutes
Ladle into bowls, 1-2 matzoh balls per person and top with fresh parsley
Mazel Tov!
