So, I've been making chicken soup with matzoh balls for years. My friend Wendy Feldman got me started with no particular recipe. Just a good overview. It's my best soup. I try to make a pot sometime around the Jewish holidays in September, but this year it was too darn hot out. This week a bunch of folks had a big thread going on FaceBook around what kind of soup they were making, so I figured it was time. And, I figured it was time to document it. Its not a recipe--I don't really do those. But this should get you a fine pot of joy if you want it. And plenty of balls. :)
I start with a big soup pot. The big kind you'd boil lobsters in. You need plenty of room for this soup and its an endeavor--so you want to make a big batch. I think my pot is 21 quarts, but don't quote me. If you only have a 10 quart soup pot, cut this all in half. First, I start with two bunches of celery. I don't peel it--it gets to mushy. If you want to tear some of the strings out you may, but I don't bother.
I cut it in approximately two inch pieces. I like them big because in all of the cooking they get fairly soft and you want something to bite into later.
Next, I have my kitchen gnome peel two pounds of carrots. And then I have him break my $25 Mario Batali peeler. But that's off the topic.
Again, cut the carrots up in fairly big pieces. They will get soft. If you make them small, they'll just fall apart.
Next, peel for or five medium sized parsnips. Leave them whole. You'll be removing them later and you don't want to be hunting for them.
This soup needs parsley. Alot of it. A whole bunch of it. I cut the leaves off the stalks with scissors. No need to chop it. Most of it will come out later. But avoid as many stalks as possible because they add a bitter flavor.
Dill--I know, I know. Many people hate it. Too bad. This soup requires it and it doesn't really taste dilly later. Don't worry. I used two packages today. Same deal--trim it all of the stalks with scissors.
On top of all of this in the pot, pile up two cut up chickens and about 3 coarsely chopped onions. You can use whole chickens if you wish (and I usually do) but using the cut up is a bit easier. Cover all of that to within an inch of the top of the pot. You can add some salt and pepper if you wish, but easy on the salt because you'll need to add chicken flavor later an that has plenty of salt in it. Cover. Boil. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until vegetables are a good tenderness. The chicken will be done if the veggies are. Turn off the heat and let it cool down for about 30 minutes.
Now, the tedious part. Pour off all the stock into another large pot or bowls. Drain all the solid ingredients into a colander over a bowl. Remove the chicken--set aside. Remove all the carrots and celery. Set aside with chicken. Discard everything else. You'll have a big pile of flavorless onions and grayish wilted parsely with the parsnips. Down the disposal that all goes.
Pick all the meat off the chicken. Its certainly sanitary to wear gloves, but I really wear them because the chicken is HOT.
All of the chicken and veggies look like this. Cover and put in fridge. Now, its time to get some balls.
I use Manischewitz Matzoh Ball Mix. I've used another brand and I've tried to make them homemade twice from crushed matzohs. Nothing is as good or reliable as these. You can be an overachiever if you want, but really, what's the point? Follow the instructions on the box and use all four packets. (Four packets, eight eggs, and eight tablespoons of oil)
Refrigerate the mix while you put the stock back into the pot. Bring to a boil and add chicken flavor to bring the broth up to the strength you prefer. I am partial to Telma chicken flavoring but its hard to find. Maggi powdered chicken bouillion works great and that's what I used today.
Once you get it flavored and boiling, I recommend that you split it between two pots for cooking the balls. They need room to move around.
Make the balls at bit smaller than a golf ball. Wet hands helps in shaping them and keeps them from sticking to you. If you can get help to make them with another set of hands (Bob always helps me) that is ideal. You want to get them into the rolling boil as close together as you can.
As they cook they increase in diameter about 30%. So you end up with them a bit bigger than the size of a golf ball. Although I have seen this soup served in many delicatessens with a GIANT softball sized ball in the center of the bowl--I don't recommend it. You run the chance that the ball won't cook all the way through and nothing is worse than an uncooked ball. :)
As soon as you get all the balls in there, dump in a package of egg noodles. They'll cook up quickly as the balls finish. Combine the pots back into one if you separated for ball cooking and you are done.
Its a delicious and unique soup. I always hand out containers of it to my grateful fans at work--especially to the jewish men I work with who delight in telling their wives that "some shiksa at work makes better matzoh balls than you do!"
And here's a shot of mine:
Nana is headed home to New Jersey today. It was a great week. Along with days at the pool, learning how to make potholders, modelng clay SpongeBobs, velvet paintings, and suncatchers, the monkey cupcakes were a highlight. Connor delivered them to all the kids in the neighborhood. After a week with the Tates, I'm sure Nana thinks that life at our house is just like the title of this post.
