My Famous Matzoh Ball Soup

It’s so cold outside. It’s a great day for soup. Here’s one of my favorite recipes!

Matzoh Ball Soup

6 large eggs

1/2 cup melted schmaltz which is chicken fat or choose vegetable oil

6 Tbsp. chicken broth

3 tsp. freshly ground pepper

3 Tbsp. kosher salt

1 1/2 cups matzo meal

1 tsp Crushed garlic

Whisk eggs in a medium bowl. Add schmaltz, broth, pepper, and 1.5 tsp. salt and whisk to combine. Whisk in matzo meal until well combined. Chill at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours so that the matzo meal can absorb well.

Bring 5 quarts of Chicken broth to a boil in a large pot. Season with remaining salt.

Using oiled hands, roll matzo mixture into 14-16 balls about 1.5” in diameter. Don’t pack them like a baseball. Transfer to a large cookie sheet.

Carefully lower matzo balls into boiling broth with a slotted spoon, and lower heat to maintain a low simmer. Cover and simmer, checking occasionally to make sure broth isn’t boiling too hard until balls are very puffed up and light in color, 30–40 minutes. Don’t remove them sooner, they will be dense in the middle if not cooked through. Turn off heat and let balls sit in broth until ready to serve.

Matzo balls can be made a few days ahead. Transfer to a Tupperware along with 2–3 Tbsp. of broth and keep in fridge.

Following the directions in this recipe which both my grandmother and my father passed down to me, will yield the perfect Matzoh Balls. My family called these “ Floaters”.

For the soup, I use a whole Chicken or 2 Cornish Hens. (I’ve come to prefer the Cornish Hens) Thick cut carrots and the tops, sliced onions, 3 ribs of Celery Hearts with leaves, Parsley, and Kosher Salt to taste. I skim the foam off the top continuously and keep some of the veggies in my soup. (The extra veggies I save for an another meal with butter) This cooks for several hours on low. I freeze some stock for future use.