Susan Gubars Matzo Ball Soup Recipes

MATZO BALL SOUP

Steps:

• Place the chicken in a large pot so it fits snugly and fill the pot with enough water to cover the chicken by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, using a ladle to skim the foam that rises to the surface. Add the garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt and continue cooking for another 30 minutes. Skim any fat that rises to the surface and reserve. You should have about 1/4 cup -- if necessary, add vegetable oil to equal 1/4 cup and set aside to cool slightly. Add the celery, carrots, onion and parsley sprigs to the pot and continue to cook until the vegetables are soft and the chicken is tender but not falling apart, about 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs and chicken fat in a medium bowl, then stir in the seltzer, chopped dill, matzo meal and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt until combined; cover and refrigerate. Chill until the mixture is firm, at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
• When the chicken is cooked, carefully remove it from the broth with a slotted spoon and place on a rimmed baking sheet along with the vegetables; let cool. Return the broth to a simmer. Scoop heaping tablespoons of the matzo mixture, using your hands to gently roll them into balls (wet your hands to prevent sticking). Carefully drop the matzo balls into the simmering broth. Cover and simmer on low until the matzo balls are completely cooked through and fluffy, about 1 hour.
• While the matzo balls cook, pick the meat from the chicken and roughly chop it, discarding the skin and bones. Slice the celery and carrots into 1/4-inch-thick pieces and discard the onion and aromatics.
• When ready to serve, return the chicken, celery and carrots to the broth. Increase the heat to high to bring the soup to a simmer, then remove from the heat. Gently ladle the soup in to serving bowls, being careful not to break up the matzo balls. Top with fresh chopped dill and serve.

MATZO BALL SOUP WITH CELERY AND DILL

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.

VEGAN MATZO BALL SOUP

Steps:

• Make the matzo balls: In a medium bowl, mix the matzo meal, potato starch, parsley, cilantro, ginger, dill, nutmeg, baking soda and baking powder with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add the olive oil and enough chickpea liquid to make a slightly sticky mixture that's not too wet or loose, about the texture of oatmeal. (The matzo meal will absorb lots of the liquid.) Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
• Make the broth: In a large pot, bring the broth to a boil. Add the carrots, celery, kohlrabi, leek, onion, olive oil and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer, covered, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes, then remove from heat.
• When the matzo mix is cold, return the broth to a low simmer. Dip your hands in cold water and form 1 1/2-inch matzo balls, about the size of a large walnut. You should have about 20 matzo balls.
• Carefully drop the matzo balls into the broth, cover and simmer without disturbing them until tender but firm, about 20 minutes. Divide among bowls. Garnish with lots of fresh herbs, and, if you want more punch to your soup, serve with some zhug or harissa.

JOAN NATHAN'S MATZO BALL SOUP

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.

MATZOH BALLS

Steps:

• Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl. Whisk in the parsley, thyme, salt, pepper and cayenne, if using. Whisk in the butter, and then the matzoh meal and baking powder. Whisk in the club soda until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours.
• Place the chicken soup in a large pot and bring to boil. Whisk the matzoh ball mixture. With moistened hands, form the matzoh mixture into 16 2-inch balls. Drop the balls into the soup, reduce heat so the soup simmers and cook for 30 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove matzoh balls to a clean, dry towel. Ladle the soup into bowls and place 1 or 2 matzoh balls in each. Serve immediately.

MATZO BALL SOUP A LA MEXICANA

Steps:

• Prepare the broth: Place all the ingredients except the salt in a large soup pot and fill with cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Skim off any foam, add salt and simmer, partially covered, until the chickens have fully cooked, about 45 to 50 minutes.
• Carefully remove one of the chickens from the broth and transfer to a bowl. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken and reserve meat, ladling a small amount of broth over it to keep it from drying out, then cover and set aside. Discard the skin and return the bones to the pot. Continue cooking the broth at a high simmer for about 2 hours, adding more water if needed to replenish. Turn off the heat and let cool. Strain and discard vegetables and bones, reserving the second chicken for another preparation (such as shredding it to use in enchiladas).
• About an hour before the broth is done, make the matzo balls: In a large bowl, combine the matzo meal, salt, baking powder, baking soda and black pepper. In a medium bowl, whisk the 2 whole eggs with the 3 yolks, the grated onion, the chicken fat and the minced herbs. In another medium bowl, beat the 3 egg whites by hand or with an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Stir the egg-yolk mixture into the dry ingredients, then add one-third of the beaten egg whites and mix until incorporated. Gently fold in the remaining whites until no streaks remain. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the batter and refrigerate until firm, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Fill a small bowl with water and set aside. Scoop mounds of the matzo batter (about 1 tablespoon each) onto the baking sheet. Using the water to keep your hands moist, as needed, roll each scoop of batter into a ball, handling as gently as possible.
• Return the chicken broth to a simmer and season with salt, if needed. Add the matzo balls as gently as possible and cook over moderate heat, turning them a few times, until they are plump and cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes. Stir the shredded chicken into the soup and cook just until the meat is warmed through, about 2 minutes.
• Serve soup with onions, chiles, cilantro, epazote, avocado and lime wedges on the side, so everyone can garnish as they like.