Sinker and Floater Matzah Balls together.
As with all great cooking adventures you just can’t make one recipe of anything. Matzo Balls may seem simple but like a fine ballerina that make dancing look easy, a perfectly weighted and flavored matzah ball can be heaven. From selecting which classic brand of of Matzo meal to use or how to making a rich broth, each component makes for one of the best all time favorite comfort foods. Hard to imagine a good Jewish deli or attending a Passover Seder without a delish bowl of matzah ball soup. Here I have included three different tried and true recipes along with some of the ingredient and technique tips I discovered.
The big personal distinction in Matzah Ball soups seems to be what type of Matzah ball one prefers, light and fluffy floaters or satisfying and chewy sinkers. Broadway Panhandler in New York City had invited me to do a demonstration of making Matza Ball Soup in earthenware Chicken Pot from Colombia and it offered a great opportunity to have a large group express which type of Matzah balls was their favorite. I made two different types of Matzah balls for each public judge to try, all served in the same homemade Chicken broth (except for the vegetarian matzo balls). It was a very close between Nathalie’s Floaters and Rich’s Sinkers… out of 70 judges the winner by 4 votes was the floaters. So it was close to a tie and I recommend doing both types of matzah balls to do your own taste test, since both types are marvelous. This is also a very fun project for children too. I included a recipe for vegetarian Matzah balls, which is really satisfying option in a vegetable broth.
Nathalie’s Floating Matzo Balls
Type: Floaters
Flavor: Parsley, Onion powder
Lightening agent: Seltzer
Matzoh Brand: Streits
Combine
4 eggs, beaten
¼ cup chicken fat
¼ cup Seltzer
1 Tbl chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 cup matzo meal
Refrigerate for 1 hour. Roll into eight or nine 2″ tight balls and drop into boiling UNsalted water and cook for 45 minutes. Simmer in chicken soup before serving.
Rich’s Flavorful Matzo Balls
Special thanks to Rich for sharing his Matzo Ball making tips and recipe. He has perfected some of the most tasty Matzo Balls I have ever enjoyed!
Type: Sinkers
Flavor: Parsley, Onion powder, Chicken Stock
Matzoh Brand: Streits
Combine
4 eggs, beaten
¼ cup chicken fat
¼ cup Chicken Broth
1 Tbl chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 cup matzo meal
Refrigerate for 1 hour. Roll into eight or nine 2″ tight balls and drop into boiling UNsalted water and cook for 45 minutes. Simmer in chicken soup before serving.
Vegetarian Matzo Balls
Type: Sinkers
Flavor: Dill, Onion
Matzoh Brand: Manischewitz
Combine
4 eggs, beaten
¼ cup Olive Oil
¼ cup Vegetarian Broth (vegeta)
1 Tbl chopped fresh dill
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 T minced onion
1 cup matzo meal
Refrigerate for 1 hour. Roll into eight or nine 2″ tight balls and drop into boiling UNsalted water and cook for 45 minutes. Simmer in chicken soup before serving.
I did try the recipe found on the web for the classic Second Ave Matzah Ball Soup and I found all three of the above recipes far superior.
Tip:
1. Rendered your own Chicken fat. I collected fat from chickens I prepared by saving the scraps in the freezer just to use for this purpose. It is a hard to beat flavor enhancer.
2. Make the chicken broth from scratch and you will have a world class Matzah Ball experience.
3. Use the freshest Matzah meal you can find. I like buying my Matzah in Jewish neighborhoods delis in Brooklyn right particularly around Passover and freezing a couple of extra boxes.
A cute Matzah Video about 20 things to do with Matzah Bread after Passover… I suggest a 21st thing to do… grind fine or coarse and make some Matzah Balls!
A post-Passover musical greeting!
Song composed by William Levin
Lyrics by William Levin and Michelle Citrin
Performed by Michelle Citrin and William Levin.
