Better-Than-Your-Grandma's Matzo Balls
I don't like to brag, but I have to say my matzo balls are pretty good. They're light, fluffy, tender pillows of chicken-y goodness. They're definitely better than anything you'll get in a restaurant, and they may even be better than your grandmother's (shhhh, don't tell her!) They're a staple of Ashkenazic Jewish food and appear at holiday celebrations, but they're simple and nourishing enough to make anytime, even if you're not Jewish. And besides being delicious, they cure the common cold like nobody's business.
Matzo balls can be a little finicky. When I first started making them, sometimes they turned out well, and sometimes they were like hard rubber balls, and I couldn't figure out why. But over the years, I learned a few secrets that turn out foolproof matzo balls every time.
Secret #1: Always, always use fresh, unsalted matzo meal, especially if you live in a climate with any humidity whatsoever. If it's been sitting around for longer than a couple of months, buy a new box. Otherwise your matzo balls will be hard and tough and will taste stale. I don't recommend freezing matzo meal, because it will start to take on the flavors of other foods in your freezer. Do not buy matzo ball mix. It's expensive for the small quantity you get, and it's full of salt and preservatives. And it's honestly just as easy to buy matzo meal and make your own. I see no need to grind your own matzo meal from whole matzo crackers. If you're going to go to that trouble, you might as well make your own matzo from scratch!
Secret #2: Always, always use fresh, large eggs. Matzo balls rely on eggs for binding, leavening, and tenderness. As eggs sit in your refrigerator, their structure starts to break down, and they lose their ability to help the matzo balls rise as they cook. The size of the eggs is important because of proportions of wet to dry to fat ingredients. Most recipes of any kind, including the ones for matzo balls, call for large eggs.
Secret #3: Schmaltz. Schmaltz is Yiddish for chicken fat. Most recipes for matzo balls call for vegetable oil or melted margarine, but neither of these have good flavor. (My shiksa mother sometimes uses melted butter -gasp! - which has good flavor but isn't kosher when mixed with chicken broth, and I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to traditional foods.) I use chicken fat that I save when I make my own chicken stock. You can also save it when you roast a chicken. It keeps well in the fridge or freezer. It makes the matzo balls taste richer, like chicken, and therefore doesn't require the broth to do all the work to flavor the soup. It really makes a big difference.
Secret #4: The liquid debate. Some people swear that seltzer gives their matzo balls lightness, while others use water or broth. I frankly haven't found that seltzer makes as much of a difference as fresh eggs and fresh matzo meal. If I have it, I use seltzer over water, but it's not a deal breaker. If I want very chicken-y matzo balls, I'll use broth.
Secret #5: Use homemade broth or stock. I think it makes all the difference, and it's worth the effort. If you must use canned, use Swanson's Low Sodium.
Secret #6: This is more of a personal bias than a secret: Matzo ball soup should not have "stuff" in it - no noodles, no vegetables, no colors, no purees. Just matzo balls and chicken broth. Maybe some chopped parsley or cracked black pepper for a garnish, but that's it. If you make them well, they don't need any adornment.
Recipe adapted from Streit's Manhattan Matzo Balls, on the back of every box of Streit's Unsalted Matzo Meal.
For 1 pot of matzo ball soup, serving about 5-6 (about ten to twelve 1 1/2"matzo balls) you will need:
- Homemade chicken stock, about 1 1/2 cups per serving.
- 1 cup unsalted matzo meal, plus more for rolling.I like Streit's brand in the blue box. The texture is courser that Manischewitz's matzo meal, and I think the results are fluffier. I also think the recipe on Streit's box produces better matzo balls.
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) room temperature chicken fat (or vegetable oil). If the chicken fat has been sitting in your fridge or freezer and is solid, put it in the microwave on defrost, starting at 20 seconds, until it comes to room temperature and liquefies. It should not be warm or hot, or it will scramble your eggs.
- 1/4 cup seltzer, water, or chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add water, chicken fat, and salt. Mix well. Add matzo meal and stir until combined. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Fill a large pot with a lid halfway with water and bring to a boil over high heat. (I use a large, wide-bottomed enameled cast iron dutch oven, but a stock pot is fine, too.)
This part of the recipe comes from my Grandma Ida: Sprinkle a thin layer of dry matzo meal on a large dinner plate. Press your palms in the matzo meal so that some sticks, and then reach into the chilled matzo dough and form 1" balls by rolling the dough between your palms. If the balls start to stick to your hands, just coat your palms with more dry matzo meal. Drop the matzo balls into the boiling water. When all the balls are in the pot, reduce the heat to low and cover. They must be covered to properly steam through! Cook for about 30 minutes, or until done. If you choose to make larger matzo balls, they'll need to cook longer. ( I usually have a test matzo ball that I cut into after 30 minutes to check for doneness. It should be tender all the way through to the center.)
The matzo balls can be made ahead and refrigerated until you're ready to add them to the soup. About 30 minutes before serving, or while the matzo balls are cooking, bring your stock to a boil in a large sauce or soup pan. If the matzo balls are cold, add them to the cold broth and bring to a boil together. If they are hot, you can add them to the stock once it's boiling. Then reduce the heat to medium and simmer the matzo balls in the broth for at least 15 minutes, to allow some of the flavor in the broth to permeate the matzo balls. Garnish with a sprig of fresh herbs and some cracked black pepper.