It may not be Passover but the weather is definitely turning cold and it seems every time I turn around someone in my office is getting sick and there is only one solution…Matzo Ball Soup aka. Jewish Penicillin!!!!  This soup is something that I crave, something that once it pops into my head I must have, and it always hits the spot!  I am declaring my love, right at this moment, for Matzo Ball Soup.  This dish can be made in so many different ways but I am pretty much a purist, no noodles, lots of chicken and delicate, light matzo balls that float at the top.  Everyone has their own preference on matzo balls, but I just happen to like the floaters and not the sinkers.  I also take the time to make my own stock, but again, this is just a preference and you can of course buy really yummy stock at the grocery store.

Stock Ingredients

1 whole chicken

3 carrots, peeled and chopped in half

2 celery stocks, chopped in thirds

1 whole onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

4 thyme sprigs

Matzo Ball Ingredients

4 large eggs, beaten

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup Schmaltz or vegetable oil

1 cup matzo meal

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

black pepper

Soup Ingredients

2 celery stocks, chopped into thirds

2 carrots, chopped into fourths

Salt and pepper to taste

Recipe

To make the stock place the whole chicken in a large pot, add the carrots, celery, onion, thyme and then cover with water plus one inch of water above the chicken.  Bring the stock to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer and then cover the pot and cook for an hour and a half.

Once the stock is made, take the chicken out of the pot, remove the skin and shred all the chicken meat, including both white and dark meat.  Strain the stock and keep only the broth.

As the stock is cooking, you can start to assemble the matzo balls.  Mix all the dry ingredients together and then add the wet ingredients.  I will note that I like light and floating matzo balls, so I add a teaspoon of baking powder, if you like denser matzo balls, you can use less baking powder or none at all.  Once all the matzo ball ingredients are mixed, place the mixture in the refrigerator uncovered for 30 minutes.  After they have sat in the fridge for the allotted time, remove the mixture, rub a little oil on your hands and form the balls making them the size of golf balls.  I add an extra step and put them back in the fridge for another 30 minutes.

Once the stock is ready and has been strained, I put the pot back onto the stove and bring the liquid to a boil.  Once the liquid is boiling, add the remaining two stocks of celery and two carrots to the pot and then place the matzo balls into the pot.  I reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot for 45 minutes.  After 45 minutes the matzo balls should be floating to the top, I add the chicken back to the pot and cook for another 15 minutes.

After an hour of cooking, the soup should be ready.  I serve each bowl of matzo ball soup with two matzo balls, two pieces of celery and two pieces of carrots and of course a good helping of chicken.

I hope you enjoy this dish as much I as I did!