The Steps
-
1. To prepare the chicken soup: Place the onions, carrots, celery, dill, parsley, parsnips, bay leaves, and peppercorns into a large stock pot. Add enough water to cover the vegetables. 00:31
-
2. Place the chicken parts into the pot. Heat on medium high and bring to a boil then simmer on medium-low for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. 01:13
-
3. To make the matzo balls: Crack four eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk. Add in the salt and freshly ground black pepper. Chop fresh parsley, celery leaves, or other green herbs until you have about two tablespoons and add them to the bowl. Add in the matzo meal, and whisk to combine. 01:50
-
4. Add the duck fat, ground ginger, and chicken broth and whisk until incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight. 02:53
-
5. To prepare the matzo ball cooking liquid: Into a large pot, add the water, boxed broth, carrot, celery, parsley, and salt. Bring to a boil. 03:38
-
6. Using your (moistened) hands, scoop out a bit of the chilled matzo ball mixture and form a ball about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place the ball into the boiling cooking liquid. Repeat with the remainder of matzo ball mixture. Cook the balls in the cooking liquid, pot covered, for 50 minutes. 04:12
-
7. Once the balls have finished cooking, spoon about three balls into a bowl and ladle the homemade chicken soup on top. Season with additional salt, if needed. Serve immediately. Otherwise, drain the cooked matzo balls and store them in a glass bowl until ready to use. 04:37
What You'll Need
Equipment
- Large pots (2)
- Mixing bowl
- Chef’s knife
- Whisk
- Ladle
- Measuring spoons
- Plastic wrap
- Cutting board
Ingredients
BASIC CHICKEN SOUP:
- Onion (2 whole)
- Carrots (3-4 whole)
- Celery (3-4 stalks)
- Fresh dill (bunch)
- Fresh parsley (bunch)
- Parsnips (2 whole)
- Bay leaves (3 leaves)
- Peppercorns (5-6)
- Chicken wings/necks/backs (at least 3 pounds)
- Water to cover
MATZO BALLS:
- Eggs (4)
- Salt (1 1/2 teaspoons, plus more for salting the cooking water)
- Black pepper (1 teaspoon, freshly ground)
- Celery and parsley leaves (small bunch)
- Matzo meal (1 cup)
- Duck fat or schmaltz (4-5 tablespoons)
- Ground ginger (1/4 teaspoon)
- Reduced chicken broth (2 tablespoons)
MATZO BALL COOKING LIQUID:
- Water (5 quarts)
- Chicken broth (1 quart box)
- Celery (1 stalk)
- Carrot (1 stalk)
- Parsley (5 sprigs)
- Salt
Chef Notes
Matzo ball soup is a popular Jewish soup consisting of matzo balls in a simple homemade chicken broth. Matzo balls are made up of matzo meal,
eggs, water, and a fat, typically schmaltz, or chicken fat, though duck
fat, oil, or clarified butter may also be used. Matzo meal is made up of
finely ground matzo crackers which are unleavened and typically made of
just flour and water. Matzo is most often eaten around the Jewish
holiday of Passover.
This recipe may be best prepared over a
period of two days. The day before, prepare the soup stock and matzo
ball dough. Then the next day, prepare the matzo ball cooking liquid,
cook the balls, and serve the soup.
When rolling matzo balls, dip your hands in a bit of water first to prevent the dough from sticking.
Comments
Sign up to leave a comment