The Matzo Ball soup is the Holy Grail of Kosher food. The Matzo Ball, or knaidel/ knaidelach, has been around for millennia. It all began when Moses led the Jews through the desert. A young boy while wandering with some matzo in hand, found a hot spring. He knew that simply dunking the matzo in the water wouldn't be any good, so he crumbled his matzo in his hand and molded it into a ball. He somehow was able to bind it together - perhaps he had a chicken with him at the time, perhaps with divine aid - and when he tried his creation, he found a delicious alternative to eating flat matzo. This practice evolved into the modern matzo ball soup that we know and love today. (Maybe). Everyone knows what matzo ball soup is, it's a kid-friendly kosher meal, and even Gentiles frequently enjoy it. There are, however, many differing qualities that distinguish good matzo ball soup from bad. So if you really want to impress your guests this Passover, or heck, even if you want to change up the pace on Sabbath, follow these instructions.
1. To really get that fresh taste, we have to prepare the poultry. Wash a turkey neck that has been cut into pieces, and add one pound of chicken wings. Then place them into a large soup pot, and fill it with water until the meat is submerged at the bottom with about two inches of water on top.
2. Bring to a roiling boil. Scrape any froth from the top of the water.
3. Next it's time to add the veggies. Take 3-4 carrots, 3 zucchinis, 3 celery sticks, 2 small onions, 1-2 small parsley roots, an optional piece of pumpkin (which you should add, because pumpkin happens to be extraordinarily healthy for you and your family), some fresh parsley, and spices to taste, with some chicken soup powder. Bring them to a boil.
4. Lower the heat to a simmer. Let it go for two hours, and allow the steam to escape. If the water level dips below the vegetables, just add some more.
5. During this time, you can prepare the sacred matzo balls. Take 4 egg whites, 4 tsp. of water, 4 tsp. of oil, tsp. salt, tsp. pepper, 1 cup matzo meal, optional 2 tsp. chopped parsley. In a separate bowl take the egg yolks and beat them with some water.
6. Fold the ingredients of each bowl together to form a light dough. Cover and chill for at least half an hour.
7. Strain the soup after two hours have passed.
8. Bring the strained soup to a boil. Take the chilled matzo ball dough and stir it up. Get your hands wet and start rolling little matzo balls. Remember that matzo balls expand to about twice their original size when cooked, so judge accordingly. Add them to the soup and make sure that they float because you don't want any sticking to the bottom.
9. Cover the pot, and let it simmer, with the addition of the strained veggies, for half an hour more.
That's it! With this recipe, you will surely be able to wow any crowd, Jew or Gentile. Remember that Hasidic Jews follow gebrocht kosher kashrut and do not enjoy matzo meal in water, so an alternative is to use potato starch.
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