January 16, 2023
Matzo/Matzah Ball Soup by Barry Horne
(serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
For the broth:
1 whole chicken (jointed for soup)
2 chicken legs
2 white onions
3 carrots
3 stalks of celery
5g of fresh turmeric (or ½ tsp of dried)
5g thyme
5g dill
2 bay leaves
For the Matzo/Matzah balls:
125g matzo meal (or cream crackers blitzed to a fine powder)
3 eggs
55g schmaltz (rendered chicken fat)
1tsp salt
80ml sparkling water
5g chopped dill
Method:
Start by making the broth. You will want to cook this for 3-4 hours minimum to get a really rich, healthy broth.
Get your butcher to joint up the chicken for soup, keeping everything, add this to a large pot.
Roughly chop the vegetables and add to the pot along with the herbs and turmeric and a nice pinch of black pepper ( turmeric has great anti inflammatory properties but you need to activate this with a good pinch of black pepper).
Cover with cold water and place on a medium high heat, bring slowly up to a gentle boil, (you don’t want the stock to ever boil as it will give you a clearer nicer broth). When it comes up to the boil, turn down to a gentle simmer, skim any scum that rises to the top regularly as this will also give you a better end product.
While the stock is cooking, it’s time to make the Matzo/Matzah balls, these are a traditional Jewish dumpling made with matzo meal which is an unleavened bread.
Take a bowl and add the eggs, whisk until fully beaten, add the schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) and whisk into the eggs.
Add the matzo meal, salt, dill and sparkling water and bring together to a dough, chill in the fridge for 10-15 mins. After 15 minutes, roll into golf ball size balls and keep in the fridge.
After 3-4 hours, remove the chicken from the pot and pick all the meat off, remove the vegetables and discard the herbs and turmeric.
Strain the stock through a fine sieve and return to the pot.
Season the broth with salt and pepper to your liking and bring to a gentle boil, poach the matzo balls in the stock and cook for 15-20 mins covered. Return the vegetables and chicken meat to the soup and serve. Garnish with a small amount of fresh dill.
