Recipe: The world's best Matzo Ball Soup
Matzo Ball Soup. It's the ultimate Jewish comfort food.
Have you ever noticed that no two bowls of matzo ball soup are alike? Well, that's because every Bubby/restaurateur/home cook has his or her own variation on the classic. Perhaps it's mixing seltzer water with the matzo meal (...this creates fluffier 'balls). Or maybe it's adding rice/noodles, vegetables, or shredded chicken to the broth, in hopes of creating more bulk. Do you have a specific variation?
Just like many of you, my matzo ball soup recipe is mirrored after that of my beloved late grandma's. There was just something about her version that had so much more depth and flavor than everybody else's. And it wasn't until she passed that I figured out Grandma's secret weapon: Dill. She used a lot of dill.
Mimicking Grandma's heavy hand on the dill weed jar - coupled with my own unique spin on the classic - I think that I've created the world's best bowl of matzo ball soup. And I'm confident that you, too, will agree!
This recipe is dedicated to you, Grandma Jean. xoxo
Ingredients
Sserves 4-5
*Note: While I do use all of the contents included in the Manischewitz box (pictured below), I've changed some of the quanities and ingredients to suit my taste. Having made this soup and followed my own directions hundreds of times, I am confident that my instructions will work for you, too. My point is this: Do not follow the directions on the back of the Manischewitz box. Follow mine, instead!
1 box of Manischewitz Matzo Ball & Soup Mix
2.5 quarts of chicken (or vegetable) broth ~ This adds so much flavor to a recipe that, otherwise, just calls for water!
*Optional: 1 cup chopped carrots (about 1" cuts)
*Optional: 1 cup chopped celery
1.5 tablespoons dried dill weed, separated ~ Grandma's secret weapon!
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or schmaltz
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
*Optional, to be added when soup is complete: 1 cup cooked and shredded chicken and/or 1 cup cooked noodles of your choice
Photo: Manischewitz
Method
In a 3-quart pot, add packet containing Manischewitz soup mix, broth, *carrots, *celery, and 1 tablespoon of dill weed. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil.
2. In a small bowl, mix the eggs and oil. Add 1/2 tablespoon of dill weed and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Add packet containing matzo ball mix, and stir with a fork until evenly mixed. Cover and place in refrigerator for 15-minutes.
3. With clean hands, form matzo batter in to balls (about 1" in diameter) and carefully drop the balls in to the boiling soup.
4. Reduce flame to a simmer, and cover tightly for 20-minutes.
*Optional: Add 1 cup cooked and shredded chicken and/or 1 cup cooked noodles of your choice.
Enjoy!
…
Until we eat again,
Lindsay, The Lunch Belle