Mmmm Matzoh Ball Soup

Wednesday night at sundown begins the Festival of Passover or Pesach, a celebration that continues for 8 days. The holiday celebrates the fact that God passed over the houses of the Jews when he was slaughtering the firstborn sons of the Egyptians. Jews are forbidden to eat any bread (among other grain products such as wheat, rye, oats, spelt, and barley) to remember that the Jews fleeing Egypt had to time to let their bread rise before fleeing. Some Ashkenazic Jews do not eat rice, corn, peanuts and legumes.

We celebrate at a dinner called a seder, where the seder plate consists of a lamb shank, a broiled egg, matzoh, bitter herbs (usually horseradish), charoses (a mixture of apples, honey, walnus, and wine), karpas (a vegetable ususally parsley).

The youngest child reads the four questions: Why is this night different from all others??

At the end of the evening, the children search for the Affikomen (a piece of matzoh from the seder that the head of the family has hidden) and they receive a prize.

To learn more about the Passover holiday see Judiasm 101

At our Seder we will be serving Matzoh Ball Soup as one of the courses of the dinner. Matzoh balls are always subject to debate...do you like them hard or do you like them fluffy. In out house, we like them fluffy! We have already done Chicken Soup on the blog so here is the link as a reminder. You can use any type of chicken soup you like, but homemade is always better!
Here is my recipe for matzoh balls (I am making a very small amount just to show you how it's done. I will use the full recipe which is quadruple this amount tomorrow when I make it for the Seder.)

This is the recipe for the larger amount, you can easily cut it down:

MATZOH BALLS
Elise Feiner

12 tablespoons vegetable oil (Wesson)
12 large eggs, slightly beaten
3 cups matzoh meal (Manischewitz)
6 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons chicken soup stock
6 tablespoons club soda

Blend the vegetable oil and eggs together in a large plastic lidded bowl. Mix matzoh meal and salt together. Add matzoh meal and salt mixture to egg and oil mixture; blend well. Add the soup stock and club soda (if soup is not made yet, you can use all club soda) and mix until well blended. The mix should be a little on the fluffy side. Cover the bowl and refrigerate a few hours or overnight (is best.) Bring 2 large pots (16-24 quarts if you have one, but at least 8-quart) of salted water to a boil. Shape the matzoh meal mix into balls, the size of meatballs (about 2-inches in diameter). They will grow MUCH larger as they cook. Reduce the flame so that the water is slightly boiling and not at a full rolling boil. Place half the matzo balls in one pot and the other half in the other pot. Cover the pots and cook for 45 to 55 minutes. The secret to good matzoh balls is the club soda that makes them light and not cooking them all in one pot if you are making a large quantity. If they are too close together they will stay hard in the middle instead of being fluffy. You can add some of the liquid from the matzoh balls to the soup if you like or need to have more liquid; this is up to you. If you decide to use some of the liquid, strain it as you pour it into the soup so you don't get loose matzoh ball crumbs in your soup. Remove from the pots with a slotted spoon or flat strainer and add to the chicken soup Makes about 36 matzoh balls. This will serve about 12 normal people (3 each) or 2 people and 3 Feiner boys.

What you will need for the recipe:

MATZOH BALLS
Elise Feiner

12 tablespoons vegetable oil (Wesson)
12 large eggs, slightly beaten
3 cups matzoh meal (Manischewitz)
6 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons chicken soup stock
6 tablespoons club soda

Place the eggs in a large bowl


Beat with a fork

until well blended


add the vegetable oil




blend the vegetable oil and eggs together


Place the eggs on a large bowl


Measure the matzoh meal


Add the salt


Mix matzoh meal and salt together



Add matzoh meal and salt mixture to egg and oil mixture;


blend well (I use a fork)


Add the chicken soup stock


to the matzoh/egg mix



and club soda
(if soup is not made yet, you can use
all club soda but I would rather see you open
a can of College Inn Chicken Broth)


You will see it fizz up
(this is what makes the matzoh balls light)



and mix until well blended


The mix should be a little on the fluffy side
I know this sounds crazy, but you'll actually feel
the fluffiness :)


Cover the bowl


and refrigerate a few hours or overnight (is best)


Fill your pot(s) with water
I am making a small amount just to show you how it's done
so I am using one 8 quart pot



Add salt




Have your flame turned all the way up


bring water to a boil,


Have your soup heating
(I just opened a can of broth for this demonstration)


Take the matzoh ball mix out of the refrigerator


Using the tips of your fingers
take some of the mix


Shape the matzoh meal mix into balls,
the size of meatballs (about 2-inches in diameter)


They will grow MUCH larger as they cook


I put them right on the cover of the bowl to save time


Gently add the matzoh balls to the boiling water
(remember if you are making a large amount
use more than one pot)
Place half the matzo balls in one pot and the other half in the other pot



You'll notice they are at the bottom of the pot


Give them a good stir with a long handled spoon
because they often stick to the bottom of the pot



Reduce the flame so that the water is slightly boiling and not at a full rolling boil


Cover the pot(s)


set your timer
and cook for 45 to 55 minutes.


Notice how they are getting bigger



The secret to good matzoh balls is the club soda that makes them light and not cooking them all in one pot if you are making a large quantity.

If they are too close together they will stay hard in the middle instead of being fluffy

This matzoh ball is not quite done yet,
notice the darker area in the middle


See the difference here, with another 10 minutes of cooking
it is completely soft and fluffy


You can add some of the liquid from the matzoh balls pot to the soup if you like or need to have more liquid; this is up to you. If you decide to use some of the liquid, strain it as you pour it into the soup so you don't get loose matzoh ball crumbs in your soup.

Remove the matzoh balls from the pots with a slotted spoon
or flat strainer


and add to the chicken soup (which is already heated)




See how much it has grown when it is finished


Serve in individual bowls


Enjoy!!!

You can make this ahead of time and add the matzoh
balls to the soup and then just reheat it all together

Note: This soup is fabulous year round, when you are not making it for Passover, you can also make this soup and add noodles to it - delicious!