“You’ll never guess what Bobby Flay’s ‘Throwdown’ dish is tonight!”
My mother-in-law called me immediately when she saw the Food Network promos for the “Throwdown with Bobby Flay” episode featuring matzo ball soup. I set my DVR to record it right away – I was going to need all the tips and techniques I could get. When she and my father-in-law were out here visiting from the East Coast a week earlier she suggested that I try out her longtime recipe for matzo ball soup. As it turns out, she had cut out the recipe from a box of Horowitz-Margareten Matzoh Meal almost 40 years ago. With Passover approaching, the opportunity to try out this “vintage” on-the-package recipe was irresistible.
I have to confess, I was initially a bit intimidated by matzo balls. You hear all the horror stories of really bad ones – thick, dense, spongy. Even my food blogging friend, Lydia, admitted to having made some her family described as “depth charges”. How was I, someone who had only ever eaten matzo ball soup maybe once in her life, going to defy the odds and make light, fluffy, flavorful dumplings? My solution: absorb all the advice I could come by. And it worked!
With the guidance of my in-laws, that “Throwdown” episode and a number of recipes I found online I am incredibly proud to report that I actually made tasty matzo balls that float! Now, I did deviate from the Horowitz-Margareten recipe in three key places to make it happen. First, in place of cold water I used seltzer (or “club soda”, as we know it on the west coast) which I heard over and over again was key to fluffy matzo balls. And rather than oil or shortening, I used schmaltz, or rendered chicken fat, which provided wonderfully rich flavor. Lastly, I allowed the matzo mixture to rest in the refrigerator for about 5 hours rather than 20 minutes. Bobby Flay actually let his stand overnight, which I would have done if I’d had the time. I can’t say for sure which of these techniques had the greatest impact, but collectively they produced a terrific result.
Come join Soup-a-Palooza at TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored by Bush’s Beans, Hip Hostess, Pillsbury and Westminster Crackers
Matzo Ball Soup
Adapted from the Matzo Ball Soup recipe on Smitten Kitchen, the Matzoh Ball Soup recipe on the Food Network and the Matzoh Balls (Knoedel) recipe on the back of the Horowitz-Margareten Matzoh Meal box, circa the late 1960’s.
[NOTE: Be sure to read through the entire recipe before you start – there’s a bit of preparation involved!]
INGREDIENTS:
- Chicken Stock (see recipe below)
- Matzo Balls (see recipe below)
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced
- Fresh dill
DIRECTIONS:
- About 10 minutes before the matzo balls are ready, add carrots to the chicken stock and bring it to a simmer. Ladle some soup and a couple matzo balls into each bowl and top with a couple snips of dill.
Chicken Stock
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 (5 or 6 lb.) hen
- 2 large celery ribs, cut into big chunks
- 2 large carrots, cut into big chunks
- 2 parsnips, cut into big chunks
- 1 onion, quartered (keep the peel on)
- 1 head garlic, cut horizontally in half
- 3 sprigs parsley
- 1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
- Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
- Rinse the chicken with water. Bring all ingredients to a simmer in a large stockpot. Skim froth. Simmer, half-covered, for at least 45 minutes, until the chicken seems done. The chicken will come away easily from the bone. Pour soup through strainer to get a clear broth. Let cool. When broth has completely cooled, skim off the fat and save for the matzo balls.
- Stock can be chilled 3 for days in the refrigerator or frozen for 1 month.
Matzo Balls
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup seltzer or club soda
- 1/3 cup rendered chicken fat (from chicken stock – see above)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Dash pepper
- 1 cup matzo meal
DIRECTIONS:
- Beat eggs. Add seltzer, chicken fat, salt and pepper. Mix well. Add matzo meal and stir thoroughly. Let stand in the refrigerator at least 20 minutes – I allowed 5 hours.
- In a medium saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of salt to 1 1/2 quarts of water and bring to a boil.
- With very wet palms of your hands (to prevent sticking), roll small amounts of matzo ball batter (approx. 1″ in diameter) loosely into balls. Drop them into the simmering salt water one at a time [NOTE: This recipe makes a good amount of batter, so depending on the size of your pot you may want to cook the matzo balls in batches, or discard the ones that don’t fit. I found that I could comfortably fit about 15 at a time in mine without overcrowding.]. Cover the pot and cook them for 20 minutes.
I have never made matzo balls. Yours look perfect! The photos are stunning!
Maria’s last blog post..Monkey Bread Muffins
Congratulations — you have achieved Matzoh Ball perfection, on your very first try!
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)’s last blog post..Ro*Tel (Recipe: Tex-Mex turkey lasagne)
Deb’s is the one I’ve had bookmarked forever. Thanks for doing this one because I’m a first timer too and need tips! Yours looks fantastic. 🙂
Melissa’s last blog post..perfecting a classic
This looks absolutely perfect!
RecipeGirl’s last blog post..Mini Carrot Cake Cheesecakes with Cream Cheese Icing (& Marzipan Carrots)
This soup looks so warm and comforting. Perfect for a cold night like this. 🙂
You would have gotten my vote if it were you for a Throwdown against Bobby Flay! It looks de-li-cious
Jackie’s last blog post..Kumquat Preserves
Great tutorial, thank you! I’ve never heard of using seltzer, but it sounds like fun and I need to try it this Passover.
Irene’s last blog post..Buttermilk Honey Loaf
Great idea to let the batter set for more than the 20 minutes suggested in the recipe. I followed your recipe and let the mixture set for about 8 hours. The matzoh balls looked perfect and were so light they practically jumped out of the soup!
THAT is the recipe my parents used and had taped down in some notebook exactly like that! LOL! And we used to have arguments as kids whether light and fluffy or dense and chewy were better. Everyone their favorite (I like them dense). Yours do look perfect!
Jamie’s last blog post..TWO-FER
I too was inspired to make matzo ball soup after seeing the Throwdown episode. I didn’t tape it so was glad to see your recipe and all of the guidance notes. Thanks so much.
Thanks for the tip sharing! Now I will get started on my matzo making tonight, rather than tomorrow. I’m a vegetarian, so I’ll be making it in a veggie broth. Mmmmm. I can’t wait for dinner tomorrow!
.-= Allison´s last blog ..super sweet giveaway =-.
I have the very same “vintage” recipe my mother sent to me many years ago when I left NY for California. She said it was “foolproof” as long as you refrigerated the batter first! One year i forgot that the balls “blew up” to about 4 times the size, and we had matzah balls that year that barely left room in the bowl for the broth, but who cares about the broth when you have matzah balls! And they were still light and fluffy!!
Thanks Mom!
It definitely was one worth saving all these years, right? 🙂
Wow! The picture of your soup is so beautiful! I am impressed that this was your first attempt. The first time I tried to make Matzoh ball soup, I failed miserably, making Matzoh balls that sunk to the bottom of the bowl. Today I’m making another attempt and am inspired by your hints and tips. Thank you for this 🙂
Hope all works out well, Cynthia!
This looks fabulous!
I’ve never made matzo ball soup. Now I want to try it. It looks great!
You did an awesome job! Well done! 🙂
I’ve never used fat in my matzo balls, definitely something to try!
I found your recipe 1 month ago… my hubby loves matzo ball soup & hadn’t had it in quite a while. So I decided to try my hand at it. Funny thing is I didn’t think to ask him which camp he was for until I was already making the little balls. He said he likes the ones that sink… I told him too bad that these should be light & float. Which they did! And, he said that these were how he liked them! That he’d just never had it any other way! So THANK YOU! I did cook the chicken stock 2-3 hrs. And let the matzo ball mixture sit over night. I accidently didn’t put a lid on it till after 11mins… so I let them cook under the lid 15 mins. So yummy even for this non-matzo ball eater. Plus seeing those little puffs float!
That’s fantastic – so glad to hear they worked out well for you guys!
Looking forward to your matzo ball soup again this year!