MATZO BALL SOUP😍

AKA the Jewish Penicillin and the cure to all your sorrows. It’s raining and Passover starts this week, so all I want to do is curl up on the couch with a big ol’ bowl of Matzo Ball Soup. Growing up, my mom would always make this for me when I was feeling sick or had a bad day and I swear by it’s healing powers to this day. There’s also something about rolling matzo balls in your kitchen that brings a sense of comfort you can’t get with many other meals. 

Tips:

• I like to roll the Matzo balls to golf ball size, because they double in size once cooked (about the size of a baseball once cooked). Occasionally I like to make one big Matzo ball for my soup, so if you do this, just be sure to cook a bit longer.

• The soup will taste great with just the broth and Matzo balls, but depending on what you have on hand, you can add chopped carrots or celery if you like as well.

• Some people add club soda to their Matzo batter to make it fluffy, but I find the Matzo balls are fluffy enough by whipping the egg whites.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

For the Matzo Balls:

• 1 ¼ cups matzo meal (you can find this at Vons, Walmart, or Amazon)

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• 2 ½ tsps salt

• ½ tsp garlic powder

• 5 eggs (separate the yolks from the egg whites for 3)

• ¼ cup chicken fat (shmaltz) or melted ghee

For the Matzo Ball Soup:

• 4 cups store-bought or homemade chicken stock (Homemade broth recipe here)

• 3 cups water

• 1-2 stalks of celery chopped (optional)

• 1 carrot chopped (optional)

• 1-2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (optional)

• 2-3 sprigs dill

• Salt to taste

Instructions:

For the Matzo Balls:

• In a bowl, mix matzo meal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and garlic powder. 

• In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites of 3 of the eggs in a separate bowl with a hand or stand mixer to stiff peaks. 

• In a 3rd bowl, mix 5 egg yolks, 2 egg whites, and chicken fat or ghee. 

• Mix dry ingredients into the egg and chicken fat mixture. 

• SLOWLY fold in egg whites 1/3 at a time. 

• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes. 

• Form matzo mixture into golf sized balls.

For the Matzo Ball Soup:

• Heat up broth, water, dill, celery and carrots in a large pot to medium. 

• Carefully add matzo balls to broth and cook for about 18-22 minutes, turning them over a few times. 

• Once cooked, remove herbs and add shredded rotisserie chicken until warmed through. 

• Serve and enjoy!