This soup is traditionally served at the Jewish holidays, so with Passover coming up we thought the timing was right to present it here. On the other hand, delicatessens in New York serve this dish year round.  A bit time consuming, but worth the effort.

8 Eggs (16oz cont FF eggs can be substituted, that’s what we used here)
2 cups matzo meal
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil

The oil should be one that’s not too strong tasting, peanut or olive oil are to be avoided, we used canola.

Pretty simple, whisk the eggs, water, and oil together, then slowly ad the matzo meal, stirring with a fork or spatula until it’s all mixed. Put this in the fridge for an hour to set.

With an icecream scoop or by hand, form balls with the mixture, this recipe will make about 12 matzo balls. I put these into the freezer for  a half hour now, this will help them keep their shape when cooking.

Drop into boiling water, and after the water starts boiling again, simmer (low flame) for 40 minutes, covered. They’ll be floating, and ready to serve.

The Chicken Stock we made some time back is perfect to serve these in. You can add some other vegetables or chicken if you prefer.

written by admin \\ tags: jewish cooking, matzo ball soup, passover, recipe, soup

There’s a secret to making good chicken soup. You need to be willing to boil the heck out of a lot of chicken. Start with a large stock pot, ours is 16 quarts. Buy two nice sized (or three if not so big) chickens. Cut into pieces, if you want, take the wings out for Buffalo wings, and a breast for another meal if you wish. Cover with fresh water and bring to boil.

After about an hour, pull out the white meat, take it off the bones and throw the bones back in. Save the white meat to put back in the soup before serving. Now, put in eight peeled carrots, eight stalks of celery, both cut into big pieces, and one large onion, peeled and cut up. A bit of black pepper as well, 1/4 tsp or so. Simmer for another two hours and strain to get the stock you see above. You can spend a bit of time and pull of the meat for chicken salad or to serve over rice or noodles. On a good sale whole chickens are under a dollar per pound, and this stock is well worth the ten dollars or so spent on the chickens. You’ll notice I don’t add salt. I’d rather adjust the final seasoning when the stock is used for the dish I’m serving. This freezes very well, and with the winter coming up great to make on snowy days when you’d rather stay in doors.

written by admin \\ tags: chicken, chicken stock, soup

My next “cooking for the week” offering.

Few cloves garlic
1 lb sweet sausage
1 lb hot sausage (substitute 1 1/2 lbs boiled chicken for sausage, if you’d like)
2 lbs zucchini
1 large onion
1 red or green pepper
2 cans (15oz) chicken broth
2 cans (15oz) tomato sauce (or one 32oz can whole or crushed tomatoes)
1 tbl basil
1 tbl oregano
1 tbl parsley

Brown garlic & sausage (drain), add everything else, simmer till zucchini falls apart. This recipe can be changed to suit your diet, change from pork sausage to turkey sausage if you wish. This can be served as you would any soup, or you can serve it on a bed of rice or pasta to make it into a full meal. It freezes very well, and as we discussed last week, this is another great way to prepare ahead. Next time I make this, I’ll add pictures to this post. Last, note that chicken and sausage both go on sale on a regular basis, so I tend to buy those, and freeze them, and when zucchini is in season, it’s time to make this soup. A bit of planning can be pretty rewarding.

written by admin \\ tags: cooking for the week, crushed tomatoes, hot sausage, pasta, soup, sweet sausage, turkey sausage, zucchini