It was an inside joke in our family that Great Aunt Rose’s matzo balls were never to be eaten as they were as heavy and dense as lead. So, of course as a young bride and newly converted Jewess, I was determined to produce light, flavorful matzo balls for my chicken soup.
Today I look back at those days and wonder what was so difficult? Grandma Ruth painstakingly showed me how to easily make this tasty dumpling a no-brainer..and thankfully, my matzo balls have always turned out light and delicious…making homemade chicken soup a comfort food in our household…but the ingredients are few and the technique simple…so I don’t understand anyone ending up with leaden matzo balls. The trick is not to compress the dough when rolling each ball between your palms, just lightly encourage each tablespoon of dough to form a ball.
Remember that chicken soup I made at the beginning of winter and stored in my freezer for a sick day? Well, unfortunately I am feeling a cold coming on, and knew there was no better cure for a sore throat and sniffles than a hot bowl of home made chicken soup with matzo balls. When you have no appetite and can’t taste a thing…this is just the ticket! The aroma of chicken soup and the delicate flavor of steaming hot matzo balls breaks through those sick day blues!
Since I like to keep my chicken soup broth clear (especially if serving as a first course during a Passover Seder dinner), I opt to boil my matzo balls in a separate pot of boiling broth or salted water. Here I have heated up a pot of water and added the remaining chicken schmaltz (rendered fat) from the pot of chicken soup I had made. As the matzo balls simmer in the flavored water, I heat up the chicken soup separately. Then, once the balls are done and floating on the surface of the liquid, I fish them out and place them in the hot soup…letting them sit in the soup for several minutes before serving. Since I used the chicken schmaltz to make the matzo balls, the flavor is already incorporated, but not overwhelming…delish!
Grandma Ruth’s Matzo Balls
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons rendered chicken fat, or vegetable oil
- 2 eggs, slightly beaten
- 1/2 cup matzo meal
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons chicken stock or water
In a medium sized mixing bowl, beat eggs with melted chicken fat or vegetable oil. The schmaltz, or chicken fat, rendered from the top of the chicken soup pot, carries the flavors of the soup to make a deliciously flavored matzo ball. So save the chicken fat that you skim from the soup pot to make your matzo balls. I keep any extra in the freezer tightly sealed in a glass jar.
Add the matzo meal and salt. Stir in the chicken stock or water until a paste is formed. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes to stiffen the dough.
Bring a soup pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Wet the palms of your hands and scoop a tablespoon of dough into one palm, lightly rolling it into a ball shape and gently drop into boiling water. Do not compress the dough, just gently roll it into a ball. This will produce a lightly textured matzo ball. Repeat until all the dough is used up, to make about 8 or 9 balls that will double in size as they cook. Cover the pot, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes. The matzo balls will rise to the surface.
Bring your chicken soup to a simmer, transfer the matzo balls to the soup and turn off the heat. Let sit for a few minutes. Serve while piping hot!
