Green Onion Dill Matzo Balls Recipes

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and let sit, undisturbed, until they start to soften, about 20 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes, until the onions are browned and caramelized, about 1 hour more. Increase the heat to medium; add the sherry and cook, stirring, until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Remove to a plate, spread out the onions and let cool in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
• Transfer 1 cup of the cooled onions to a food processor and process until smooth. (Reserve any remaining onions for another use.) Scrape into a large bowl; add the eggs, seltzer, schmaltz, 1 teaspoon salt and use a fork to stir until combined. Add the matzo meal and continue to stir with the fork until completely incorporated and the mixture resembles a thick paste. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Meanwhile, wet your hands and divide the matzo ball mixture into 12 equal mounds and flatten each into a disk. Add 1 of the cheese cubes to the center of each and roll into a ball, completely enclosing the cheese.
• Add the matzo balls to the boiling water, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until almost double in size, light and fluffy, flipping halfway through, about 30 minutes total. Remove with a slotted spoon and add them to your favorite chicken soup.

Steps:

• For the soup:
• Place chicken, celery, carrots, onions, fennel, garlic, bay leaf, and parsley and dill with stems in a large pot. Add cold water to cover by 1". Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low. Gently simmer, partially covered, skimming off any foam that accumulates, until chicken is very tender and falling off the bone, about 1 1/2-2 hours.
• While the soup is simmering, make the matzo balls: Using a fork, mix together the eggs, oil, matzo meal, seltzer water, dill, and 2 tsp. salt in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and keep water at a simmer.
• Moisten your hands with water. Scoop out a rounded tablespoonful of chilled matzo ball batter and very gently pat into a 1" ball (avoid squeezing too hard or rolling too much). Drop into simmering water and repeat with remaining batter. Cover pot and gently simmer until matzo balls are tender and puffed, 40-45 minutes. Drain matzo balls and return to the pot; cover and keep in a warm place.
• Remove chicken and vegetables from the chicken broth with a slotted spoon and transfer to a cutting board; let rest until cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, strain broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, discarding solids. Return the strained broth to the pot. Using your fingers, remove chicken meat from bones and shred into bite-sized pieces. Slice vegetables into bite-size pieces. Place chicken and vegetables in broth, cover pot, and set aside in a warm place until ready to serve.
• To serve, add kale to broth and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until kale softens, 3-5 minutes. Season soup generously with salt and pepper.
• Divide matzo balls among bowls and ladle soup on top. Garnish with chopped parsley and dill before serving.
• Do Ahead
• Matzo balls can be cooled to room temperature, then stored, covered, in the fridge up to 1 day. Soup can be made until just before adding kale, cooled to room temperature, then stored in a covered container in the fridge up to 1 day. Reheat, then add kale and simmer for a few minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Prepare the broth: Combine chicken, onions, garlic, celery and carrots in a large pot. Cover with 12 cups water and season with salt. (If your pot can't handle all that water, fill the pot with as much as you can, and add remaining water as it reduces.)
• Bring to a strong simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low so that the broth is gently simmering.
• Continue to gently simmer, uncovered, until the broth is extremely flavorful and well seasoned, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Using tongs, remove breasts, thighs and legs from the pot (let any skin and bones fall into the pot), leaving everything else behind.
• Pick the meat from the chicken, discarding any fat, skin, bones, cartilage or any drier pieces of meat that you wouldn't find delicious to eat. Set meat aside to either put back into your soup, or to use in another dish (chicken salad, etc).
• Strain broth (you should have about 10 cups) and return to the pot. Season with salt and pepper (it should be as seasoned and delicious as you'd want it to be when serving). Keep warm, if using same day, or let cool and refrigerate overnight.
• As broth sits, prepare the matzo balls: Combine matzo meal, chives and 1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt in a medium bowl. Using a fork, incorporate eggs until well blended. Add chicken fat, followed by club soda, mixing until no lumps remain. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until mixture is firm and fully hydrated, at least 2 hours (and up to 24 hours).
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Using your hands, roll matzo ball mixture into balls slightly smaller than the size of a ping pong ball (about 1 1/4-inch in diameter), placing them on a plate or parchment lined baking sheet until all the mixture is rolled (you should have about 24 matzo balls).
• Add matzo balls to the boiling water and cook until floating, puffed and cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. (You can always sacrifice one, plucking it from the broth and cutting it in half to check that it's cooked through. The texture should be uniform in color and texture, and the balls shouldn't be dense or undercooked in the center.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the matzo balls to the chicken broth.
• Add celery (and some of the picked chicken meat, if you desire) and season again with salt before ladling into bowls, topping with dill, celery leaves and a crack of freshly ground pepper.