I know I've been super quiet, but I am cycling through periods of depression, happiness, boredom and plain craziness. And also trying out loads of new recipes. That's been fun, I put some music on and play in the kitchen for hours.
Today I want to share with you this amazing and super easy recipe I found on the New York Times Youtube channel. I actually could not believe how simple it was to make, it tasted much more fancy than I expected
This soup is light and fragrant, and the matzo balls are so fluffy and airy, it's just to die for! It is comfort food that doesn't make you feel like you've eaten all the bread in the land
It is one of those recipes which can be made over two days, which for foodies in quarantine, is the ultimate joy ;)
Let's get cooking!
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE BROTH:
- 1 (1,5 - 2kg) chicken, cut into 8 pieces, or 1,5 - 2kg bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces
- 2 large white onions, unpeeled, quartered
- 2 garlic heads, unpeeled, halved crosswise
- 4 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- Kosher salt
FOR THE MATZO BALLS AND ASSEMBLY:
- 1 cup matzo meal (not matzo ball mix), or 1 cup finely ground matzo boards
- ¼ cup finely chopped chives
- 1 ¾ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 5 large eggs
- ⅓ cup chicken fat, grapeseed oil or unsalted butter, melted (I have a method for chicken fat below)
- ¼ cup soda water or sparkling water
- 3 to 4 celery stalks, thinly sliced on a bias, plus any leaves
- ½ cup chopped dill leaves
- Freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
To make the broth: Add the chicken, onions, garlic, celery and carrots to a large pot. Add 3 liters of water to cover - I had to do this in two pots as I didn't have one large enough.
Bring the pot to a rolling simmer, and then reduce to medium low so that the pot is on a very gentle simmer
Simmer, uncovered, until the broth has a good flavour, which will be for one to two hours - I did mine for two hours.
Remove the chicken pieces that you would eat, ie any meat, and set aside. We don't actually use the chicken in the soup (you can if you like) but it does make for a great sandwich filling when combined with a little mayonnaise and chives.
Strain the broth through a sieve and return the liquid to the pot
Ensure that the broth is well seasoned with salt and pepper, it should now taste the way you would like it to taste when eating.
HOT TIP
You can now either keep the broth warm if you plan to eat it on the same day, OR (and I do recommend this) close the soup in a container in the fridge over night. By doing this, a thick layer of chicken fat will form and you can simply scoop it off to use in the matzo balls. thank me later
To prepare matzo balls
In a large bowl mix matzo meal, chives and 1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt. Using a fork, mix in the eggs until well blended. Now, add your fat of choice (trust me the chicken fat is the way forward. Next best thing is butter) Now mix in the soda or sparkling water and mix until the mixture is smooth and without lumps.
Cover with cling wrap and put in the fridge until your mix is firm and fully hydrated, at least 2 hours (and up to 24 hours). (I left mine overnight)
To Cook:
Salt a large pot of water and bring to boil. Roll the matzo ball mix into small balls (about 3cm diameter or 1 and a 1/4-inch), placing them on a plate until all the mixture is rolled. This should make 25 matzo balls.
Drop the matzo balls to the boiling water and cook until they float. They should puff up a bit and be cooked through. This should take ten to fifteen minutes.
You can always cut one in half to test.
The matzo balls should be all similar in colour. Ensure that the balls are not dense in the middle, they should be cooked through and fluffy
To Serve:
Add the matzo balls to the heated chicken broth with a slotted spoon. This is where you can add the celery, dill and some chicken meat if you like, but I chose to only add a little chopped celery leaves and carrot rounds.
Enjoy!
Don't be intimidated by the long cooking process, it can be cut down to two and a half hours if you like. This is a simple and utterly delicious recipe and I have added it my favourites folder in my recipe book!
