Matzo Ball Soup

Our steamed bacon bun dinner the other night was definitely not kosher for Passover, but we made up for it with homemade matzo ball soup.

Apparently the secret to light and fluffy matzo balls is to use club soda or sparkling water, so we used that little trick. We also used homemade matzo meal instead of buying it— just 5 pieces of matzo ground finely in the food processor— because matzo meal at Whole Foods is freaking expensive.

First, we made our matzo meal while separating four large eggs. Whip the egg whites until light and fluffy. Gently fold in the egg yolks, add in two and half tablespoons of canola oil, 1/2 cup of sparkling water, and a dash of salt, pepper, and dried parsley. Stir in the matzo meal. Mix until everything comes together (it will barely do so).

Let the matzo mixture sit in the fridge for several hours or really as long as you can in order to let the flavors meld. When you are ready to make the matzo balls, bring a pot of water to a rolling simmer. With oiled hands, use a cookie scoop to lightly form together matzo balls. Drop them in the simmering water, cover, and allow to boil for 30 minutes.

While the matzo balls are being made, throw together the rest of your soup— two quarts of chicken stock, one chopped onion, one cup of chopped carrots, a variety of dried spices (garlic powder, basil, and parsley)— bring to a boil to cook the vegetables, and reduce to a simmer. Add in some poached chicken at the end.

Set some of your enormous and fluffy matzo balls into a bowl and ladle your broth, veggies, and chicken on top.

It was a good experiment first making matzo balls, and pretty soon we plan on making them in another and even more exciting way.