It wouldn’t be Passover in our family without Chicken Soup and Matzo Balls. I’m taking the soup and matzo balls to my sister’s this year for our Seder. Matzo Balls are basically dumplings made with matzo meal. They can be light or quite dense. I opt for lightness.
Whenever it comes to the Jewish holidays my mind is filled with thoughts of my mother. As I mentioned before cooking and baking was her thing, much as it has become mine. It seems that most of the holidays while we were growing up were always at our home, with much of the extended family and some friends. My mom did it all, and now that I know what “all "involves, I marvel at how she did it. But she did, and she did it well.
Her matzo balls were light, yet firm, flavorful and always delicious. I never knew a matzo ball could be anything but light until the first Seder at my in-laws many years ago when my mother-in-law gave everyone their choice of matzo balls…hard or light…I never did understand why anyone would choose to eat a hard matzo ball!
Aside from being light the perfect matzo ball for me is one that also is infused with flavor. This is achieved by the addition of some fat in the mix, be it oil, shmaltz (rendered chicken fat), or especially butter (provided that you do not keep kosher). Mom used shmaltz, I use butter or a combination of shmaltz and butter.
Another trick I learned from my mother was to add chicken broth instead of water to the batter. Again, it’s all about flavor.
A few years ago at Passover my younger son who lives in San Francisco asked if I could send him some Matzo Ball Soup. It seems it’s hard to find a good bowl of Matzo Ball Soup there.
He doesn’t ask for much, and how could I say no to sending my boychik some of Mama’s soup? Making the soup was easy, figuring the logistics of how to best get it to him a little trickier.
I prepared the soup, prepared the matzo balls, ladled the matzo balls into the warm broth, and carefully froze it in a couple of storage containers.
On the day of departure (we decided on next day air, and I’m not saying what I paid, just let it be known it was a true act of love)…my husband diligently wrapped the frozen containers in a special styrofoam shipping container designed to send medication through the mail. By the way, when my husband wraps something for mailing, I challenge anyone to try and open it….a roll of clear packing tape in his hands is a scarey thing.
The next morning I was up early and about to track it on the computer when my son called with the horrifying news that he saw on the computer that the package was returned to sender!
After a few harrowing hours of my son calling his local post office to track the soup, and me calling mine in a desperate effort to prevent the soup from coming back to me, and trying to figure out why it would be returned in the first place because my son swore he was up early awaiting the matzo ball arrival and there was no way they rang his bell and he didn’t hear… he spoke with another postal worker again who told him she thought she might have seen a package that he was describing.
They found it, and apparently when it was checked in someone mistakenly hit the button for return to sender on the computer tracking system, but all the while the soup was actually enroute and now at the local office waiting to be picked up for delivery.
My son told them not to deliver it , and that he was on his way over to pick it up himself. He was taking no chances, and I’ll love him forever for that!
So end of story…the Matzo Ball Soup arrived on time, and in delicious condition, still icy cold, but beginning to defrost a little. I gave my son detailed directions as to how to heat it so the matzo balls would not be disturbed, and he called later to report that it was the best bowl of Matzo Ball Soup yet!
Matzo Balls (18-20 large matzo balls)
12 extra-large eggs
8 tablespoons butter, melted, or vegetable oil, or shmaltz, or combination
3 cups Matzo Meal
1 tablespoon kosher salt
¾ cup chicken broth, warmed
In a large bowl blend the eggs with the melted butter using an electric mixer (a hand mixer is fine).
Add the salt to the matzo meal and stir.
Add the matzo meal to the eggs and blend with an electric mixer.
Slowly add the warm chicken broth to the matzo meal and egg mixture.
Chill in refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
When ready to cook, bring a large 16-20 quart stockpot filled with water to a brisk boil. Add a small amount of salt to water, if desired.
Remove chilled matzo ball mix from refrigerator and form into 3-inch balls with wet hands to prevent sticking.
Drop balls into the boiling water.
Cover pot, reduce heat to simmer, and cook 30- 40 minutes.
When done, drain the matzo balls in a slotted spoon and place carefully in warm pot of chicken soup. Allow matzo balls to simmer in soup for at least an hour.