This is a soup that is almost always different. From the vegetables used in the soup, to the ingredients that make up the balls the variation is immense. I have never made this soup professionally, but I have had a fair amount of different versions. I wanted to make a version that had a rich broth that was uniquely flavored and had fork tender medium sized balls. I did some research and looked at a number of different recipes for the balls.
I didn't used a recipe for the broth, as I just made a nice rich dark chicken stock, then I fortified it with dill and preserved lemon to add more flavor. I used the chicken stock to poach off the chicken breasts for the meat for the soup, as well as the vegetables that I was going to use in the soup. The further fortified the liquid while giving the chicken and vegetables the lemon and dill flavor. The balls were another story as they vary immensely in size, texture, flavor, etc.
Most of the recipes had the same ratios to the balls, so I used that as a base. I went the floater approach (seltzer & powder), used dill (which is frequently in there), then added preserved lemon, and used crispy chicken skin in addition to the fat that was rendered while making the skin. One of the recipes I read cooked off some onions in the schmaltz and pureed them adding that extra flavor to the balls (sadly I don't remember the recipe where I saw this step, I just knew that it would be a great way to add flavor to them).
I am going to be breaking this recipe into two parts with photos but keeping the soup and the matzo balls on the same page (though you could use the balls for any number of things outside of the soup itself). The final product that this recipe makes is a rich, nourishing, flavor full chicken broth, with crunchy pieces of carrots and celery and tender chicken breast. Floating a top the soup are light, lemony, tender matzo balls that hold the flavor of the soup.
One item of note for this soup is that the broth you poach the balls off in aren't normally used for the soup. You can use it, but the final product is cloudy from the poaching.
*chicken schmaltz is the fat that comes from cooking the chicken and rendering it out
Matzo Balls
Ingredients
Dark Chicken Broth 2 qts
Chicken Smaltz 1/4 cup
Onion, diced 1 ea
Eggs 4 ea
Dill 2 tsp
Preserved Lemon 2 T
Matzo Meal* 1 cup
Salt 1/2 tsp
White Pepper 1 tsp
Seltzer Water 1/4 cup
Baking Powder 1/8 tsp
Vegetable oil to lightly coat your hands
*if you can't find the Matzo meal, you can buy Matzo bread and crush it
Method of Procedure
Take your chicken skins and diced onions and cook them in the chicken schmaltz until soft. Puree them with a food processor/blender/stick blender and let cool.
Combine your pepper, salt, baking powder, and meal into a bowl.
Add your schmaltz, preserved lemon, and dill and mix thoroughly.
Whisk your eggs and add them to the batter.
Add your seltzer water and stir until mixed.
Line a roasting pan with plastic wrap to hold the balls (this helps keep them uniformly round as they are not resting on a hard surface).
Coat your hands with oil and spoon out your balls to their desired size (I used a 3 oz ice cream scoop and got two per scoop) then roll them into balls and place on the plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
Bring your stock up to a simmer and and gently place your matzo balls into the broth. Simmer for about 10 minutes (more or less based on size).
Remove from the broth, and reserve for the soup until later.
If you want a clearer soup, do not use this broth, reserve it for another purpose.
Soup
Ingredients
Dark Chicken Broth 6 qts
Dill weed, whole 1 oz (+ garnish)
Preserved Lemon 4 slices
Tapatio (or other hot sauce) 1 T
Carrots, peeled and chopped 4 ea
Celery, chopped 4 ea
Chicken Breast 4 ea
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Garnish
dill sprigs
Method of Procedure
Tie your dill together with twine and place, with the preserved lemons, into your chicken broth and bring to a simmer.
Add your hot sauce, salt, and pepper to taste
Bring to a light boil and blanch off your vegetables, until softened but bright.
Remove from the stock and reserve for later.
Place your chicken breasts into the broth and simmer for about 40 minutes until thoroughly cooked.
Remove from the broth and chill. Slice the chicken and mix with the celery and carrots.
Once again season to broth to your liking and strain, removing the lemon and the dill.
To serve, bring the appropriate amount of broth (about 8-10 oz per portion) to a quick boil and add your chicken vegetable mix, and 3-4 balls. Reduce to a simmer for about 5 minutes until hot all the way through. Garnish with dill and enjoy.
Comments