Matzo Ball Soup Recipes

Steps:

• Trim off neck flap all the way up to the top of the wishbone. Trim fat and skin from around the back cavity of the chicken. Reserve both for schmaltz and grebenes. Cut chicken into quarters. Place meat in large pot with onions, and cover with about 4 quarts water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat , and simmer 2 hours.
• Add carrots and celery to the soup; simmer an additional hour. Season to taste with salt.
• Remove chicken pieces, and set aside. You may reserve them for another use, or shred the meat for the soup. Keep the chicken covered, and at room temperature before shredding.
• Dice reserved skin and fat into 1 inch pieces. Cook in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally. Make sure the pan never gets so hot as to cause the rendered fat to smoke. When the grebenes are crisp and brown, remove them to a cutting board and drain schmaltz into a small nonplastic bowl to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, mince the grebenes finely.
• To make the matzoh balls, blend fat or oil and eggs together. Mix matzoh meal and salt together. Combine the two mixtures, and mix well. Add 4 1/2 tablespoons soup stock or water; mix until uniform. Stir in minced grebenes. Cover bowl, and place in refrigerator for 20 minutes.
• Bring soup to a boil. Reduce flame, and drop balls approximately 1 inch in diameter into the slightly boiling water. Add dill. Cover pot, and cook 30 to 40 minutes. DO NOT REMOVE THE COVER FROM THE POT WHLE COOKING!

Steps:

• Make the stock.
• In a large pot, bring 2 quarts chicken stock to a simmer. Add the chicken and return just to a simmer. Cover the chicken with a small heatproof plate to keep it submerged (add more stock if needed). Cover the pot and reduce the heat; gently simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Remove the chicken and let cool slightly, then roughly cut up the meat and set aside; discard the skin and bones. Strain the stock into another large pot.
• Skim the fat off the surface of the stock using a spoon.
• Make the batter.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the matzo meal, granulated garlic, baking powder, baking soda, 2 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper. In a medium bowl, whisk the 2 whole eggs with the 3 yolks, schmaltz and minced onion. In a separate clean bowl, beat the 3 egg whites with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Stir the schmaltz mixture into the dry ingredients, then stir in one-third of the beaten egg whites until incorporated. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites until no streaks remain.
• Form the matzo balls.
• Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. In a small bowl, combine the vegetable oil with 1 tablespoon water. Using the oil-and-water mixture to keep your hands moist, roll scoops of batter (about 2 tablespoons each) into balls, handling them as gently as possible (makes 8 to 12). Arrange on the baking sheet and refrigerate 20 minutes so the outsides dry slightly.
• Make the soup.
• Tie the dill and parsley sprigs together with kitchen string. Return the chicken stock to a simmer. Add the carrot, celery, diced onion, rutabaga and herb bundle; season with salt and pepper. Return to a simmer and add the matzo balls. Cover and cook over moderate heat, turning the matzo balls a few times, until they are plump and cooked through, about 25 minutes. Stir the chicken into the soup and cook until just warmed through. Remove the herb bundle and season the soup with salt and pepper.

Steps:

• first of all you make the matzo mixture because it has to be chilled in the refrigerator for as long as possible. i basically used the recipe on the manischewitz box container except i substituted olive oil for vegetable oil. traditionally they're supposed to be made with schmaltz. also i used seltzer water because the jews say that it makes the matzo balls lighter.
• mix together all of the ingredients in a bowl, adding the seltzer last and more lightly with your hands until uniform. don't worry that it looks to too runny because it will firm up in the fridge. Cover and refrigerate while you make the soup.
• put chicken thigh in a pot and add water until the chicken is submerged plus about 2 inches. bring to a boil then, simmer for 30 minutes.
• meanwhile, quarter the onion, chop one carrot and one stalk of celery into inch wide pieces, and crush the garlic. dice the other stalk of celery and carrot into 1/2 inch pieces and set aside for later.
• skim the top of the stock with a wire mesh spoon. add the onion, garlic and big vegetable pieces along with 1 tbsp salt. cover and simmer for an hour.
• bring a pot of water and a little salt to a boil then reduce to a simmer. fill a shallow bowl with cold water. take the out the matzo meal and form into balls with a tablespoon and your hands. make sure to dip your hands and the spoon in the water between every ball. drop each of the balls into the water then cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes. the matzo balls should expand about to 1 1/2 their original side; i made six from the mixture.
• remove the chicken from the pot and strain the soup, discarding the vegetables. return the broth to the pot and add the remaining carrots and celery. Bring to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are almost tender.
• meanwhile remove the skin from the chicken and tear the meat into shreds. add the chicken shreds back into the soup and simmer for another 5 minutes. remove from heat and taste. Add the pepper and more salt if necessary.
• test the matzo balls with a fork. you should be able to insert it without feeling any change in pressure within. transfer the balls to the soup pot with either a slotted spoon or tongs. cover and let sit for 15 minutes so that they can absorb the flavor. reheat if necessary and serve.

Steps:

• For the stock the best results come from the chicken bones of an already cooked chicken - so enjoy a chicken dinner and save the bones and the close meat. Cook this until the vegetables are nearly disintegrated. Remember do not add your salt till the boil point has been reached or your stock will be cloudy. Approximately 3 hours.
• Cool and strain off all the meat, vegetables and bones. Discard.
• Cool and strain off any fats.
• For the Matzo Balls: Beat the eggs. Add seltzer,oil, salt and pepper. Mix well.
• Add Matzo meal and stir thoroughly. Refrigerate for 1/2 to 1 hour.
• Fill a 5 quart pot 3/4 full of water and bring to a rolling boil add 3/4 cup of kosher salt to the water and bring back to rolling boil.
• Moisten the palms of your hands with cold water form your matzo balls - I use a tsp to measure the amount - approximately 1/2" in diameter. Drop matzo balls into boiling water.
• Cook for at least 30 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.
• Soup:.
• In a 6 quart pot add 1 tsp of olive oil when heated add your onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Over low heat bring to fork tender.
• Add the remainder of the ingredients. Add cooked matzo balls and allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Steps:

• For chicken stock:
• Bring all ingredients and 12 cups cold water to a boil in a very large (at least 12-quarts) stockpot. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until chicken breasts are cooked through, about 20 minutes.
• Transfer breasts to a plate (remaining chicken parts are strictly for stock). Let breasts cool slightly, then remove meat and return bones to stock. Shred meat. Let cool, tightly wrap, and chill.
• Continue to simmer stock, skimming surface occasionally, until reduced by one-third, about 2 hours. Strain chicken stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a large saucepan (or airtight container, if not using right away); discard solids. You should have about 8 cups.
• DO AHEAD: Stock can be made 2 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Keep reserved chicken meat chilled.
• For matzo ball mixture:
• Mix eggs, matzo meal, schmaltz, club soda, and salt in a medium bowl (mixture will resemble wet sand; it will firm up as it rests). Cover and chill at least 2 hours.
• DO AHEAD: Mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
• For assembly:
• Bring chicken stock to a boil in a large saucepan. Add carrots; season with salt. Reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender, 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat, add reserved breast meat, and cover. Set soup aside.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Scoop out 2-tablespoonful portions matzo ball mixture and, using wet hands, gently roll into balls.
• Add matzo balls to water and reduce heat so water is at a gentle simmer (too much bouncing around will break them up). Cover pot and cook matzo balls until cooked through and starting to sink, 20-25 minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer matzo balls to bowls. Ladle soup over, top with dill, and season with pepper.

Steps:

• Make matzo balls: Using a small spoon, gently scrape away any fat that has solidified on surface of broth. Warm 1/4 cup fat in the microwave, reserve remainder for another use. In a large bowl, whisk together fat, 1/4 cup broth, egg yolks, salt and pepper. Whisk in seltzer, and immediately fold in matzo meal. In a separate bowl, with a mixer, whip egg whites until stiff peaks form. In batches egg whites into matzo meal until just incorporated; refrigerate 20 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Wet hands, form matzo mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls, and drop into boiling water. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until matzo balls are puffed and tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium pot, bring 8 cups broth to a simmer. Season with salt. Add sliced carrots and simmer until tender, about 7 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove matzo balls from water and divide among four bowls. Ladle broth and carrots into bowls and top with dill springs.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the eggs, schmaltz, stock, matzo meal, nutmeg, ginger and parsley. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Gently mix with a whisk or spoon. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours or overnight.
• To shape and cook the matzo balls, fill a wide, deep pan with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. With wet hands, take some of the mix and mold it into the size and shape of a Ping-Pong ball. Gently drop it into the boiling water, repeating until all the mix is used.
• Cover the pan, reduce heat to a lively simmer and cook matzo balls about 30 to 40 minutes for al dente, longer for light. If desired, the cooked matzo balls can be transferred to chicken or vegetable soup and served immediately. Alternatively, they may be placed on a baking sheet and frozen, then transferred to a freezer bag and kept frozen until a few hours before serving; reheat in chicken or vegetable soup or broth.

Steps:

• For broth, in a stockpot, combine the first 12 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2 hours., Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the egg yolks on high speed for 2 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored. Add the water, chicken fat and 1/2 teaspoon salt. In another bowl, beat egg whites on high until stiff peaks form; fold into yolk mixture. Fold in matzo meal. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until thickened., In another stockpot, bring water to a boil; add remaining salt. Drop eight rounded tablespoonfuls of matzo ball dough into boiling water. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a matzo ball comes out clean (do not lift cover while simmering). , Strain broth, discarding vegetables and seasonings. Carefully remove matzo balls from water with a slotted spoon; place one matzo ball in each soup bowl. Add broth.

Steps:

• Place chicken in a large soup kettle; add the broth, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and enough water to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 55-65 minutes or until meat is tender, skimming the surface as foam rises., Remove chicken and set aside until cool enough to handle. Strain broth and skim fat. Return broth to the kettle; add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, pepper and remaining salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 15 minutes or until carrots are tender., Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk eggs and oil. Add matzo ball mix and onion; toss with a fork until combined. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes., Remove and discard skin and bones from chicken; chop chicken and add to soup. Stir in parsley. Bring to a boil. Drop 12 rounded teaspoonfuls of matzo ball dough into boiling soup. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a matzo ball comes out clean (do not lift cover while simmering)., With a slotted spoon, carefully remove matzo balls and place one in each soup bowl. Ladle soup over top.