Bubeleh's Matzo Ball Soup
If only I had paid attention when Bubeleh made this soup. It always ran off the flu that came to visit our house every winter. I hope it has the same healing properties for your family as well.
If only I had paid attention when Bubeleh made this soup. It always ran off the flu that came to visit our house every winter. I hope it has the same healing properties for your family as well.
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- soup stock
- 3.5-4.5 chicken parts -backs, necks, wings, etc.
- 3 celery ribs cut into chunks
- 3 carrots cut into chunks
- 3 parsnips or potatoes cut into chunks
- 2 onions cut into chunks
- 1 head of garlic cut horizontally to expose bulb
- 1 tbsp black peppercorn whole
- 4 qts cold water
- matzo balls
- 1/2 cup matzo meal
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 2-3 tbsp (reserved chicken fat from stock) or olive oil
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
- 2 tbsp chicken stock or seltzer
- for soup
- 2-3 qts prepared chicken stock (see recipe above)
- 1 carrot thinly sliced
- 1 celery rib thinly sliced
- 1/4 onion thinly sliced
- Carbohydrate 1.05033977663267 g
- Cholesterol 133.47 mg
- Fat 3.24809955133193 g
- Fiber 0.220405449100496 g
- Protein 4.24494663478293 g
- Saturated Fat 1.00830416668166 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (43g)
- Sodium 1072.81429166734 mg
- Sugar 0.829934327532177 g
- Trans Fat 0.532794551284192 g
- Calories 50 calories
Step-by-step
- Bring all soup stock ingredients to a boil in an 8-10 qt stock pot. Skim foam. Reduce heat and gently simmer uncovered for 3 hours.
- Pour stock through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl and discard solids. Reserve up to 3 Tbsp fat from the stock to add to the matzo balls.
- Mix all Matzo ball ingredients in a bowl. Mix well, cover with plastic wrap and let set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Bring -3 qts of chicken stock to a simmer. Add the matzo in balls using a 100 disher (or about 1 Tbsp) until all the matzo has been used to create balls. Cook the matzo balls at a simmer for 30-45 minutes. Add the thinly sliced carrots, celery and onion. Top the soup with freshly chopped dill and serve.
Simmering raw poultry bones, whole root vegetables, and aromatics together for three hours extracts collagen, converting insoluble proteins into gelatin that gives the broth its rich mouthfeel. Skimming the initial protein foam ensures clarity before long-term simmering emulsifies fats and water compounds. Keeping the pot uncovered allows steam to escape, concentrating amino acids and volatile aromatics into a potent flavor base.
The Physics of Tender Matzo Balls
Hydrating matzo meal with beaten eggs and rendered schmaltz requires exactly thirty minutes of refrigeration. During this rest period, starch granules absorb liquids completely, forming a cohesive matrix that traps air bubbles provided by seltzer or stock. Rolling the chilled paste into spheres and dropping them directly into simmering broth cooks the starches evenly without dissolving the exterior. Maintain a gentle simmer for thirty to forty-five minutes; aggressive boiling forces steam pockets to expand too rapidly, rupturing the structural boundaries and turning the dumplings water-logged and dense.
- Dense dumplings typically result from omitting the rest period or overworking the hydrated dough during rolling.
- Cloudy broth occurs when the stock reaches a violent boil instead of a gentle bubble during the initial extraction phase.
- Store cooked matzo balls separately from the broth in an airtight container for up to three days to prevent total liquid absorption.
