Email to Stella      

Soup: Judy's Famous Chicken Soup w/Matzo Balls

Source of Recipe

Judy Freespirit


List of Ingredients

1 (approx.4 lb.) chicken, cut up and skinned
3 carrots, peeled & cut in 3 or 4
3 stalks celery, cut in 3 or 4
4 quarts water
1 large onion (peeled & whole)
1/2 bunch of parsley
2 stalks fresh or 1 t. dried dill
4 -6 cloves whole peeled garlic
3 or 4 potatoes, quartered
1 T. salt
pepper or cayenne to taste




Recipe

1. Rinse skinned chicken in cold water until water runs clear, then cover with salt and let sit for about an hour. Rinse again with cold water and place chicken pieces in large pot with cold water and cook uncovered on high
heat until foam appears. Skim water till clear, then lower heat to simmer

2. Add everything except carrots and potatoes, cover and simmer on low heat for about 1 hour. Add carrots and potatoes and simmer covered for another 30-45 minutes or until carrots are tender.

3. Use tongs to remove onion, garlic, parsley and stalks of fresh dill or strain broth into another pan then add carrots, celery and potatoes to it.

4. Add cooked matzo balls* and leave covered until time to serve.

YIELD: 4-6 Servings

* Judy's Famous Matzo Balls

Portions: 4-6

Ingredients:
1/8 lb. margerine (half a stick)*
4 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup matzo meal
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 teaspoon dill weed (optional)
4-6 tablespoons soup stock or water

*The margerine should be firm. The reason for this is that if it is firm
rather than melted it will form little pockets inside the matzo balls while
it is cooking (because the margerine will melt) and that will cause them to
steam from the inside). It's probably best to take margerine out of the
refrigerator 15-30 minutes before you use it. That way it will still be firm
but not too hard.

Instructions:
1. Cut up margerine into small pieces (about the size of peas). Blend lightly with eggs. Mix matzo meal, salt and dill weed together. Add matzo meal mixture to egg and margerine. Mix enough to get all the matzo meal wet but
do not mix any more than necessary. Add soup stock or water and mix lightly with a fork. The texture should be lumpy but not hard. Cover bowl and place in refrigerator for at least l/2 hour.

2. Bring to a full boil a large pot of water (5 or 6 quarts).

3. Cover hands lightly with vegetable oil. You may need to use a little more as you make the balls. You'll need just enough oil to make it easy to roll the balls without squeezing them.

4. Roll teaspoon sized balls as lightly as possibly between your palms, trying not to put any pressure on them, then drop them in the boiling water. You should get about 16 or 18 balls from this recipe. Turn heat down just a little so balls will not boil hard but will continue to boil. Cover the pot tightly and cook for an hour without uncovering the pot.

5. If you have the soup very hot you can put the matzo balls into the soup and let them sit in the hot soup for an hour or more before you serve it. Thatseems to make them even lighter.