matzo ball soup

(1 rating)
Recipe by
Marsha Gardner
Florala, AL

Our neighbor Mrs. Goldblum would make this soup for everyone in the neighborhood when they were sick with cold. Jewish penicillin in a bowl.

(1 rating)
yield 8 -10

Ingredients For matzo ball soup

  • STOCK
  • 4-5 lb
    chicken back, necks and wings
  • 3
    celery ribs, chunked
  • 2 md
    carrots, scrubbed and chunked
  • 2 sm
    parsnips, scrubbed and chunked
  • 2 md
    onions, unpeeled and quartered
  • 1
    head of garlic cut in half horizontally
  • 1 Tbsp
    peppercorns, whole black
  • 2 tsp
    kosher salt
  • 1
    bay leaf
  • 4 qt
    cold water
  • MATZO BALLS
  • 1/2 c
    matzo meal
  • 2 lg
    eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 Tbsp
    reserved chicken fat (schmaltz) or canola oil
  • 1 tsp
    kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp
    freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp
    chicken stock or seltzer water
  • SOUP
  • 3 qt
    prepared stock
  • 1 md
    carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
  • few sprig
    fresh dill

How To Make matzo ball soup

  • 1
    STOCK: Bring all ingredients to a boil in an 8- to 10-quart heavy pot. Skim froth. Reduce heat and gently simmer, uncovered for 3 hours. Pour stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl and discard solids. If using stock right away, skim off and discard any fat. If not, cool stock completely, uncovered, before skimming fat, then chill, covered. Reserve a few tablespoons of the skimmed fat (schmaltz) if you wish to use them in matzo balls (below). Stock can be chilled 3 days in the refrigerator or frozen 1 month.
  • 2
    MATZO BALLS: There are two matzo ball camps: those that like them heavy and leaden at the bottom of a bowl and those that like them light and fluffy–these are the latter, and in my mind, the better ones. If you can’t find matzo meal, pulse a few pieces of matzo in your food processor until it is a coarse powder. If you can’t find matzo, well, you obviously do not live in New York City.
  • 3
    Mix all matzo ball ingredients in a bowl. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Bring 1 1/2 quarts of well-salted water to a brisk boil in a medium sized pot. Reduce the flame. Run your hands under water so they are thoroughly wet. Form matzo balls by dropping spoonfuls of matzo ball batter approximately 1-inch in diameter into the palm of your wet hands and rolling them loosely into balls. Drop them into the simmering salt water one at a time. Cover the pot and cook them for 30 to 40 minutes.
  • 4
    SOUP: About ten minutes before the matzo balls are ready, bring prepared chicken stock to a simmer with the sliced carrot in it. Ladle some soup and a couple matzo balls into each bowl and top with a couple snips of dill. Eat immediately.

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