The majority of my best friends growing up were Jewish (and are still some of my best friends) and I was so lucky to be exposed to so many wonderful traditions, foods, and families. One of my best memories is having holiday dinners at my friends and having brisket and my favorite, matzo ball soup at Passover!
Matzo ball soup is something I miss terribly living in Texas. You can't find it anywhere. I mean ANYWHERE in Austin. Its not like bagels, where they are just not very good, but you can get them. I seriously can not find a place to get Matzo Ball Soup here, but I have been pretty intimidated to make my own. I never made it at home, my friend's moms always made it and they set the bar really high.
But Chanel was sick this week, allergies just giving her sinus problems and a sore throat, but she wanted soup and she had never had Matzo Ball Soup and it had been on my list of things to tackle for a while - so we did it!
I reached out to my friends and their moms before diving in to make sure I did the right things and used the right seasoning and correct process. Boy, am I glad I did! These were the best! So light, so fluffy, the right size, and so flavorful!
I have to admit, I didn't make chicken soup. I made a broth with vegetables and seasoning and chicken broth, but no chicken. As I say about chicken and dumplings, "I eat the dumplings because I want to, I eat the chicken because I have to." That rule applies even more to Matzo Ball Soup. I only want the Matzo balls, who needs chicken? None of my Jewish mamas put chicken in the finished product. They made a broth from scratch with chicken feet and vegetables, but served a matzo ball with the just broth (no veggies or chicken) poured over it and garnished with dill. We went that route more or less, but kept the veggies because they are so tasty too!
However, the Matzo balls are not cooked in the soup, they are boiled separately and then you pour the soup over them. So you can use whatever chicken soup recipe makes you the happiest! I will include how we made our broth, which I think was perfection, but there are lots of wonderful chicken soup variations, so go with what you love.
Matzo ball soup
Makes 6-8 Matzo Balls
For the Matzo balls:
- 5 oz (2, 2.5 oz packets) of Matzo Ball Mix (we used Manischewitz)
- 4 eggs
- 4 tbs. olive oil
- 1 tbs. dill
- 1 tbs. parsley
- 1 tsp. salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper
for the broth:
- 4 cups chicken broth (we used Swanson's)
- 1 tbs. olive oil
- 4 carrots, sliced or diced
- 1 small/medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 1/2 purple top turnip (optional), diced into bite sized cubes
- 1 tsp. dill
- 1 tsp. basil
- Salt and Pepper
Prepare the Matzo Balls: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and the oil together. Mix in the seasonings. Using a fork or a spatula, mix in the Matzo Ball mix, until just combined, but do not over-mix.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, or until ready to boil. They taste best fresh, so don't boil them until before you are ready to serve the soup.
Make the broth: Over medium high heat, saute your vegetables in the olive oil in a large dutch oven or stock pot. Sprinkle with the seasoning, add the broth and bring to a boil. Boil until the vegetables are tender and cooked through.
Boil the Matzo Balls: Fill a medium or large pot with water and bring to a boil. When the water is boiling, remove the dough from the fridge and form the balls. Using a large spoon, scoop out a heaping tablespoon of dough and roll into a smooth ball with your hands.
I recommend a ball about the size of a golf ball (they will expand as they cook, nearly double in size). This will yield balls about the size of a tennis ball; we served two in a bowl and it was plenty. You can go larger or smaller depending on your preference.
Drop the formed balls into the boiling water. We did four at a time, you don't want them to be too crowded since they will expand quite a bit. We did two batches.
Cover the pot and reduce the heat to a low boil (not a simmer, but you don't want the water boiling over). Boil for 30 minutes and do not remove the cover until they are done. Thankfully we have clear pot tops and I could peek with excitement without taking the lid off.
Remove the balls with a slotted spoon directly into soup bowls. Pour broth over the balls and serve immediately.
