In search of the perfect Matzo Ball

Oct 3

Oct 3 In search of the perfect Matzo Ball

For whatever reason, Matzo Balls have always confused me. I really have never made a good one, to be quite honest, and I was under the distinct impression that my (ex) Mother-in-Law’s perfectly shaped balls that she used to bring in an aluminum tray were bought at Liebman’s (not, as she always claimed, made by her) since I couldn’t fathom that anyone could actually make good balls.

I recently had lunch with a friend at a Jean Georges restaurant and they had Matzo Ball Soup on the menu in honor of the Jewish Holidays. It was one of the early cold-ish days and we decided to share one. The Matzo Ball was so delicious that I decided that I needed to try one again and tackle this epicurean hurdle.

I did some research - since my balls had always seemed to be what I call “Sinkers” I knew I needed to try and lighten them up. Baking soda? Seltzer? Whipped egg whites?

I found the Serious Eats analysis of making matzo balls to be the best at explaining the differences in balls and this is my experiment with it. I was delighted and shocked (seriously!) that my Matzo Balls came out as good as they did. Here’s my version that I ended up using but for a more in-depth analysis of what makes a good Matzo Ball, check out Serious eats’ recipe: https://www.seriouseats.com/the-best-matzo-balls-recipe

Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 large eggs, beaten

1/4 cup seltzer

1/4 cup schmaltz (I skimmed the fat off my soup and used that). (You can also use a neutral oil like vegetable or canola oil)

1 cup matzo meal (I use Streit’s)

1/2 teaspoon (They recommended 1/8 to 1 teaspoon baking powder)

1 - 2 teaspoons kosher salt - I go heavier with the salt but if you’re a non salty person go lighter.

Freshly ground black pepper

3 quarts Chicken Soup - divided (see recipe) - and strained.NOTE: I had just made chicken soup stock and had about 10 quarts of Stock. I like to make a lot of soup and then freeze it for the future.

Finely diced carrot and celery

Fresh Dill and Parsley - eyeball it. You want enough so that it enhances the flavor / not overwhelms it.

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs with seltzer, and schmaltz or oil.

Stir in the matzo meal, baking powder, salt, and pepper. redients and stir

I used a fork to combine it all togetyher.

Refrigerate uncovered for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, divide stock evenly between two pots, season both with salt, and bring to a simmer. I added additional salt to one pot (the one I used to make the matzo balls in).

Add diced carrots and celery, dill and parsley the other pot and simmer until just tender. Check after 30 minutes but depending on how soft you like your vegetables you may want to simmer longer.

Wet your hands with cold water and form balls from the matzo ball mixture. You want the initial balls to be smallish - about 1 to 1 1/2 inches - and drop into the simmering pot of extra salted stock - the one that doesn’t have any carrots or celery or herbs in it.

When all the matzo balls are added (you should end up with about a dozen balls), cover and simmer until matzo balls are cooked through, about 1 hour.

Cooked matzo balls can be kept warm in their broth until ready to serve or you can do what I do and put them into containers to freeze once everything is cooled down. When I serve them in the soup I add shredded chicken, the stock with the small cut up carrots, celery and herbs and some additional stock from the soup that I used to make the balls in. You may want to strain that broth but I didn’t really need to. Sometimes the balls break off too much and there’s a lot of debris floating around.