Susan Hattie Steinsapir’s

Southwestern Matzoh Balls

 

Oy, vey, y'all! Just in time for the holidays, it's Southwestern Matzoh Balls!

 

Ingredients

                2   Tablespoons       oil, melted schmaltz or butter

                2   large                    eggs

             1/2   cup                      matzoh meal

                1   teaspoon             kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon regular salt)

                2   Tablespoons       onion, finely minced

                1   teaspoon             fresh red jalpeno pepper, finely chopped

                2   Tablespoons       vodka

 

Preparation

1.   Beat oil and eggs together. Add matzoh meal and other ingredients. Stir to blend thoroughly. Refrigerate covered for 15 minutes.

2.   In a 3 to 4 qt saucepan, bring about 2 qts of water to boil. You may add a bit of salt to water if you want. Reduce heat, so water is boiling but not madly. Drop one inch size balls of matzoh ball mix into water. Cover pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain the matzoh balls. Add to chicken soup and simmer the soup for five minutes before serving. Makes about 8 matzoh balls. Serve 2 or so matzoh balls in each serving of soup.

This recipe may be doubled, however, only use 3 eggs in that case.

You'll also find a recipe for my basic chicken soup at my web site.  For holidays, I'd suggest making the soup with just chicken feet. This makes an incredible, rich, well-colored stock.  To give additional color to the stock, use the skins from onions when you make the stock.


Lemon-scented Chicken Soup with Parsley-Sage Matzo Balls

by

Miriyam Glazer and Phyllis Glazer

 

The chicken and vegetables are strained out for a clear soup. If you'd like, save some chicken and vegetables to serve along with the matzo balls in the soup.

Ingredients

                1                              chicken (4-1/2 to 5 pounds), cut into 8 pieces, rinsed

                                                            well, excess skin and fat cut away and discarded
                                                boiling water
                5   quarts                 cold water
                1   Tablespoon         coarse kosher salt
                1   pound                  onions, quartered
                1                              yam (red-skinned sweet potato, about 1-pound),

                                                            peeled, cut in half crosswise
               ¾   pound                  carrots, peeled, thickly sliced
               ½   pound                  parsnips, peeled, thickly sliced
                4   large                    celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces

              10   large                    fresh dill sprigs
              10   large                    fresh Italian parsley sprigs

                                                Parsley-Sage Matzo Balls  (see recipe below)

         3 to 4   Tablespoons       fresh lemon juice
                8   thin slices           lemon

 

Preparation

1.   Place chicken in large bowl. Add boiling water to cover. Let stand 2 minutes; drain well. Using small knife, scrape skin to remove any surface fat. Rinse with cold water; drain again.

2.   Bring 5 quarts water to boil in heavy large pot. Add chicken. Return to boil, skimming impurities . Cook until broth is clear, skimming as needed and stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

3.   Add onions, yam, carrots, parsnips, and celery. Partially cover and reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until chicken and vegetables are tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

4.   Add dill and parsley to soup; simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 1 hour. Strain into clean pot. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and chill.)

5.   Add matzo balls to soup and re-warm over medium heat. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Ladle into bowls.

6.   Add 1 lemon slice and matzo balls to each.

 

Servings: Makes 8 servings.

 

Parsley-Sage Matzo Balls

 

by

Miriyam Glazer and Phyllis Glazer

 

Ingredients

                4   large                    eggs
                5   Tablespoons       stick margarine, melted
             3/4   teaspoon             salt
             1/8   teaspoon             ground black pepper
             1/2   cup                      fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
                2   Tablespoons       fresh sage, chopped
          1 1/4   cups                    matzo meal
             1/2   cup                      club soda

Preparation

1.   Whisk eggs in medium bowl until frothy. Whisk in melted margarine, salt, and pepper, then herbs. Gradually mix in matzo meal. Stir in club soda. Cover and chill batter until cold and firm, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

2.   Line baking sheet with plastic wrap. Using wet hands and 1 heaping teaspoonful for each, shape batter into matzo balls. Arrange on prepared sheet.

3.   Drop matzo balls into large pot of boiling salted water. Cover partially and reduce heat to medium. Simmer until matzo balls are tender, about 1 hour. Using slotted spoon, transfer matzo balls to clean baking sheet. (Can be made ahead. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours or cover and chill up to 1 day. Rewarm in soup before serving.)

 

Servings: Makes about 36.

 

      Source:   Bon Appétit

                     April 2006


Muriel's chicken soup

with almond matzo balls

This soup, actually my mother's recipe, is traditionally served at Passover, but it's so good that my family likes to make it all year round. A little chicken stock goes into the matzo balls, and the rest makes up the soup base. You can also use canned chicken broth, but for the best-tasting and most authentic soup, we think nothing beats homemade chicken stock.

 

Ingredients

                2   large                    eggs

                2   Tablespoons       vegetable oil

             1/2   cup                      matzo meal

             1/2   cup                      whole almonds with skins (2 oz), coarsely chopped

                2   Tablespoons       chopped fresh dill

             3/4   teaspoon             salt

             1/4   teaspoon             pepper

             1/4   teaspoon             cinnamon

          6 1/3   cups                    chicken stock or broth

                                                fresh dill sprigs for garnish

Preparation

Make matzo balls:

1.   Beat together eggs and oil in a bowl. Add matzo meal, almonds, dill, salt, pepper, cinnamon, and 1/3 cup stock, stirring until blended. Cover surface of mixture with plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours.

Shape and cook matzo balls:

2.   Bring a 6-quart pot of salted water to a simmer.

3.   Roll matzo mixture into 1-inch balls (about 25) with dampened hands and transfer to an oiled plate.

4.   Cook matzo balls in simmering water, covered, until cooked through, about 40 minutes. To test for doneness, halve a matzo ball: It should have a moist, uniform texture (if it's not quite ready, there will be a dry, yellowish center).

5.   While matzo balls are cooking, bring remaining 6 cups stock to a simmer and season with salt and pepper. Transfer matzo balls with a slotted spoon to broth and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Cooks' note: Matzo-ball mixture can be chilled up to 1 day.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Servings: Makes 8 servings.

      Source:   Gourmet

                     February 2001

 

 

A Sephardic Recipe for Matzo Balls

From

J. J. Jackson, The Rock N' Roll Food Guy

 

You don't have to be Jewish or wait for Passover to enjoy matzo balls. Matzo balls are delicious dumplings made from unleavened bread meal, usually served in chicken broth or soup. This version includes nuts and spices.

 

Ingredients

                4                              eggs

             1/2   cup                      club soda

                2   Tablespoons       vegetable oil or chicken fat (schmaltz)

                2   Tablespoons       finely chopped parsley

             1/4   cup                      ground almonds or walnuts

                1   teaspoon             almond or walnut oil

         4 or 5   scrapes              freshly grated nutmeg

                                                Salt

                                                Freshly ground black pepper

                1   cup                      matzo meal

 

 

Preparation

1.   Whisk the eggs until blended. Now add the club soda, vegetable oil or schmaltz, salt and pepper. Easy on the salt, you can always add but you can never take away.

2.   Blend in the parsley, almonds or walnuts, almonds or walnut oil, nutmeg, and matzo meal. Cover and refrigerate this mixture for about 1 hour.

3.   Bring about 5 quarts of water to boil. Rub vegetable oil on hands and form matzo balls with about two tablespoons of mixture. Drop in boiling water and simmer covered and don't peek (okay, maybe once or twice) for about 25 to 35 minutes.

4.   Serve in “Absolute Best Passover Chicken Broth.” (see recipe below)

 

 

 

      Source:   About.com Home Cooking

                     http://homecooking.about.com/od/soups/r/blss51.htm

 


Absolute Best

Passover Chicken Broth Recipe

From

J. J. Jackson, The Rock N' Roll Food Guy

 

You don't have to be Jewish or wait for Passover to make incredible homemade chicken stock.  Plan on at least two hours for the flavor of the chicken to leach into the stock.

 

Ingredients

                1   whole                  Empire chickens  (3-4 pounds)

                                                            Empire is the best - but any fresh chicken will do.

                1   medium              turnip quartered

                2                              leeks white part only cleaned thoroughly and quartered

                1   small                   rutabaga quartered

                3   ribs                      celery with leaves halved

              12                              parsley stems

                2   large                    carrots quartered

                2   large                    onions quartered

                8   peppercorns       crushed

             1/2   teaspoon             dried thyme

                                                Kosher or coarse salt

                                                Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1.   Clean the chicken and discard giblets or any other presents you've been given in the cavity. Salt the entire chicken inside and out liberally with kosher or coarse salt.

2.   Let chicken stand for 35 minutes.

3.   Wash salt from chicken and place in a medium to large stockpot. Cover chicken with turnip, leeks, rutabaga, celery, parsley, carrots, onions, peppercorns, and thyme. Cover with 4 or 5 quarts of cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to simmer. Simmer for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, occasionally skimming the foam from the top.

4.   Remove the chicken to a large platter when it is still firm and not falling apart. Remove the meat from the chicken and save for sandwiches (no bread during Passover!) and salads. Then take the bones and return them to the pot and simmer for one more hour.

5.   Strain the soup into a large bowl and discard everything in the strainer. Refrigerate long enough to allow hardened fat to form on surface, then simply remove the fat. Bring back up to heat with salt and pepper to taste.

Hint: You can add more vegetables at this point or start the process again for a really rich broth. That's the way Chinese chicken stock is prepared sometimes using as many as six or eight chickens.

You can continue boiling another hour after straining to reduce to a richer stock. Save the skimmed chicken fat (schmaltz) for making matzo balls.