Matzah Ball Soup
Matzah Ball Soup
Class Recipe • Yield: 2 Quarts • Approximately 6–8 Servings
INGREDIENTS — SOUP
• 2 quarts prepared, strained chicken stock
• 1 cup picked, cooked chicken meat
• ½ cup small-diced onion
• ½ cup small-diced carrot
• ½ cup small-diced celery
• Kosher salt, as needed
• Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
• ¼ cup fresh dill, roughly chopped
INGREDIENTS — HOMEMADE MATZAH
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup warm water, approximately
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
INGREDIENTS — MATZAH BALLS
• 1 cup homemade matzah, ground into matzah meal
• 4 large eggs
• ¼ cup vegetable shortening, melted and cooled slightly
• ¼ cup chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
1. BRING THE STOCK TO A SIMMER
Place the 2 quarts of prepared chicken stock in a soup pot and bring it to a gentle simmer. Add the diced onion, carrot, and celery. Season lightly with kosher salt and black pepper. Maintain a gentle simmer while preparing the matzah. The vegetables should become tender while still retaining their shape.
2. MAKE THE MATZAH DOUGH
Preheat the oven to 500°F. Place a sheet pan in the oven so it becomes very hot. Combine the flour and salt. Add the olive oil and gradually add the warm water, mixing until a firm dough forms. Knead briefly until smooth. Divide the dough into 8 pieces.
3. ROLL & BAKE THE MATZAH
Roll each piece of dough very thin—almost translucent. Dock the dough thoroughly with a fork. Transfer to the
hot sheet pan and bake approximately 2–4 minutes per side, until crisp, blistered, and lightly browned. Cool completely.
4. MAKE THE MATZAH MEAL
Break the cooled matzah into pieces and pulse in a food processor until it becomes a coarse meal, not a fine flour. Measure 1 cup for the matzah balls.
5. MAKE THE MATZAH BALL MIXTURE
Lightly beat the eggs. Whisk in the melted and slightly cooled vegetable shortening, chicken stock, kosher salt, black pepper, and fresh dill. Fold in the homemade matzah meal only until combined. Do not overmix. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes so the matzah meal can fully hydrate.
6. ADD THE CHICKEN TO THE SOUP
Once the mirepoix is tender, add the 1 cup of picked cooked chicken to the simmering broth. The chicken is already cooked; it only needs to be heated through. Avoid prolonged cooking, which can make the chicken dry and stringy. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning.
7. FORM & COOK THE MATZAH BALLS
Bring a separate pot of well-salted water to a gentle simmer. Wet your hands and gently form the chilled mixture into approximately 1½-inch balls. Do not tightly compress them. Lower the matzah balls into the simmering water, cover, and cook gently for approximately 30–35 minutes, until expanded, tender, and completely cooked through.
8. FINISH THE SOUP
Transfer the cooked matzah balls into the hot chicken soup. Allow everything to come together over a gentle simmer for several minutes. Taste again and adjust with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Turn off the heat and finish generously with fresh dill.
FINAL BOWL
Chicken + mirepoix + 1–2 matzah balls + hot chicken broth + fresh dill.
The broth should be clean and chicken-forward. The mirepoix should be tender but still recognizable, the chicken moist, and the dill fresh. Cut open one matzah ball before service: it should be light and tender all the way through with no hard or dry center.
CLASS TECHNIQUE
Focus on gentle simmering, consistent mirepoix knife cuts, dough hydration, rolling thin matzah, proper matzah-ball hydration, seasoning in stages, and finishing with fresh herbs.
