Matzah Ball Soup!

Living in a new house, in a new country, I suddenly found myself without a box of matzah ball mix during passover time. The grocery store had a nice selection of passover goods, but not matzah ball soup mix - which they carry all year round in the States. Usually I make my own broth and then use the mix for the balls, But this year I was forced to venture out to make the whole thing from scratch. And it turned out delicious!

While Kyle and I were sad to not have a large group of friends coming over to share a seder with, it was nice to have as many matzah balls as we each wanted :).

This is my favorite chicken broth recipe for when I want to impress guests. While it takes more effort than the usual recipe (throw everything in a pot, simmer 1/2 a day), it yields a very flavorful rich broth, and is finished in an hour.

Matzah Ball Soup!

serves 6

Chicken Soup

1 Tb vegetable oil
~4 lb of chicken. I used half thighs and half breasts, alternatively use a whole chicken.
2 medium onions - cut in medium dice
3 quarts boiling water (Add more if you are making for a larger group. Cook broth longer for more flavor)
salt
2 bay leaves
2 large carrots
2 ribs of celery

1. Heat oil in large stock pot over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers and starts to smoke, add chicken breasts. Saute until brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove from pot and set aside.
2. Add half of chopped onions to pot, and saute 2-3 minutes until colored and softened slightly. Remove from pot and set aside.
3. Add remaining chicken pieces to pot, and saute until no longer pink, 4-5 minutes.
4. Add onions back to pot with chicken pieces (excluding breasts). Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until chicken releases its juices, about 20 minutes.
5. Increase heat to high, add 3 quarts boiling water, along with chicken breasts, 2 tsp salt, bay leaves, 1 carrot and 1 rib celery. Return to simmer, then cover and barely simmer until chicken breasts are cooked and broth is rich and flavorful, about 30 minutes.
6. Set up a strainer over a large bowl and pour soup through it. Let sit till cool (broth may go in the fridge for up to 2 days). When cool enough to touch, discard cooked vegetables and seasonings. Pull and shred chicken meat off breasts (and other pieces if you like dark meat), and discard bones and skin.
7. Skim fat off broth, and save 6 Tb of it. (This is easier to do after the broth sits in the fridge for a while, the fat will form a thick layer on top).



Matzah Balls (From foodnetwork)
4 eggs, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons chicken fat (from the above soup)
1 cup matzoh meal
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup hot water or broth
2 tsp baking powder (if you like a firmer matzah ball leave this out, or halve it)

1. mix together eggs and chicken fat. Stir in matzah meal and salt. Add 1/4 cup hot water/chicken stock.
2. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.



Assembly
1. Add reserved 2 Tb chicken fat to pot and saute remaining onions, carrot and celery until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add broth along with shredded chicken.
3. Bring to low boil - this is important - do not add matzah balls until soup is boiling. Form small matzah balls (the size of walnuts) in wet hands or drop from spoon and plop into boiling soup.
4. Simmer with lid on for 20 minutes, until matzah balls are cooked.

(For storage, I recommend storing the matzah ball separately, or they may absorb broth in the fridge).