Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls
Instructions:
Traditionally, matzo balls are served in broth, with only
carrots (thick cut instead of sliced), but you can add
other vegetables, rice or noodles (thin egg noodles are
good), and chicken meat. And don’t let tradition stop
you from using stocks other than chicken; beef, vegetable,
and mushroom stocks are equally delicious, especially
for the passatelli and butter dumpling variations,
where tradition is less of an issue.
3 eggs
6 to 9 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup minced or grated onion (optional)
1/4 cup melted rendered chicken fat or neutral oil, like
grapeseed or corn
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
About 1 cup matzo meal
4 carrots, cut into chunks
MAKES: 6 servings
TIME: At least 2 hours
- Beat together the eggs and 1/2 cup of the stock. (If you prefer light matzo balls, separate the eggs and beat the yolks with the stock. Beat the whites until stiff and fold them in after adding the matzo meal.)
- Stir in the onion if you’re using it, the fat, the salt, and the pepper. Add the matzo meal; the dough should be quite moist, barely stiff enough to make into balls. If it’s too moist, add a little more meal.
- Cover the mixture and refrigerate for an hour or overnight. When you’re ready to cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. (You can also cook the matzo balls directly in your stock, but use the larger quantity of stock.)Using wet hands, shape the mixture into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Meanwhile, simmer the carrots in 51/2 cups of the stock until just tender, about 20 minutes.
- Turn the heat under the boiling water to mediumlow, so that it bubbles gently, and cook the balls until expanded and set, about 30 minutes. Set them in soup bowls and ladle the stock and carrots over them.
- Chicken Soup with Passatelli.
- A wonderful fresh “noodle” made from bread crumbs and cheese: Reduce the stock to 4 cups and bring to a steady bubble. Make the passatelli by mixing together 1/3 cup Fresh Bread Crumbs , 3/4 cup grated Parmesan, 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves, and 2 eggs; it will form a soft, granular dough. Press the dough into the bubbling stock through a ricer, a food mill fit with large holes, or a colander (using a large spoon); cook until the passatelli is tender but firm, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately with more grated Parmesan.
- Chicken Soup with Butter Dumplings.
- Use 6 cups of stock and bring to a steady bubble. Make the dumplings by whipping 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) softened butter, then beating in 2 eggs. Stir in 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves, 1/4 cup minced or grated onion, and a large pinch salt and pepper. Add heated stock 1 tablespoon at a time, just until the batter is soft—not too loose or the dumplings will fall apart. Drop the batter by the teaspoonful into the bubbling stock. Cook until set, about 10 minutes, removing them as they are done. Serve immediately in the soup.