Ingredients
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, quartered
2 carrots, cut into approx. 4" pieces
4 stalks celery, cut into approx. 4" pieces
1 turnip, quartered
1 parsnip, cut into approx. 4" pieces
1 whole chicken, about 2 1/2 to 3 lb.
6 c. (48-oz.) homemade chicken broth
4 sprigs fresh dill
4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 eggs
1/2 c. chicken fat, melted
1/2 c. seltzer water
1 c. matzo meal
1 tsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
Step 1In a very large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, turnip, and parsnip and cook until vegetables are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Place chicken on top of vegetables and toss so that the chicken gets slightly covered in veggies and oil. Add broth and enough water to just cover the chicken. Step 2Add dill, parsley, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, for 2 hours. Remove chicken (use for the soup or reserve for another use). Reserve a few pieces of carrot (to be later sliced and added to the finished soup), then strain broth into a large bowl or large measuring cup. Discard the remaining vegetables and herbs. Step 3Season broth with salt and pepper and serve with matzo balls (recipe follows).
Step 1In a medium bowl, beat eggs. Add chicken fat and seltzer and mix well. Add matzo meal, salt and pepper and mix well, taking care to ensure all of the matzo meal is incorporated into the egg mixture. Refrigerate the mixture for at least 30 minutes. Step 2Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Using a cookie scoop (for medium-sized matzo balls) or ice cream scoop (for large matzo balls), form the mixture into balls, smoothing their shape by rolling them between slightly wet hands. Drop each ball into the boiling water. (They will sink initially, but will rise to the top as they cook.) Cook for 25-35 minutes, or until the centers of the matzo balls are fully cooked. They’ll look dense and dark yellow in the center if they’re not done.Step 3Remove them from the boiling water and either add to the chicken soup, or place directly into individual serving bowls and top with soup.
The Base According to the Jewish cooking school I attended—my mother-in-law’s kitchen—great Matzo Ball Soup starts with homemade chicken broth. The time and effort you invest really pays off here, plus, it couldn’t be easier: Throw a few roughly chopped vegetables, a whole chicken or two, some herbs and chicken stock into a large pot and basically walk away for two hours. The vegetables used here are critical: Onions, carrots, and celery are staples, but we use turnips and parsnips as well, which give the soup an earthy flavor. (If you haven’t had either vegetable before, get started with our roasted turnips and roasted parsnips.) The herbs are also a must: Italian flat-leaf parsley has a brighter flavor than the curly kind; dill, which adds grassy, almost citrusy notes, is a prevalent ingredient in traditional Jewish cooking. Tip: Matzo balls are sponges for flavor—they soak up whatever is around them. This is all the more reason to make sure the stock they’re sitting in is as good as possible. Making the Matzo Balls Matzo balls, which are similar to dumplings, fall into one of two categories: floaters and sinkers. Sinkers, called that because they “sink” to the bottom of the soup pot, tend to have more eggs and are heavy and dense. Floaters, which are the kind I use in this recipe, are puffier and lighter. The matzo balls I was taught to make also have a few surprising ingredients. The first is chicken fat, known lovingly in the Jewish community as “shmaltz”. (It’s poured over everything and even served on tables like pancake syrup at some Jewish delis). It’s used in Jewish cooking the way lard is used in Southern cooking (very often), and it’s available in most supermarkets in the freezer aisle. It gives the matzo balls a rich depth of flavor. The second is seltzer. While many recipes call for water, seltzer (the bubblier, the better) is used here as a leavener, making these matzo balls almost pillowy. If you don’t have seltzer on hand, water will do—but the result won’t be exactly the same. Do matzo balls freeze well? Yes! After cooking the matzo balls, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze. Once frozen, you can transfer to a resealable plastic bag. To prepare, drop frozen balls into boiling broth and cook until heated through. If you made this recipe, let us know how it went in the comment section below!
