There’s nothing like chicken soup when you need comfort. A good friend of ours swears by matzo ball soup for it’s healing properties and after learning about the benefits of bone broth and how wonderfully nourishing and restorative the minerals from a delicious, slow simmered stock can be I have to agree that its nick name of “Jewish Penicillin” is well earned.
I found the original version of this recipe on the Food Network site, I’ve made it often enough now that it’s a favorite. The apple cider vinegar I’ve added to recipe helps break down the connective tissue and bones to give you the maximum benefit of the glucosamine and chondroitin derived from the connective tissue which is one of the sources of minerals. Don’t skimp on the time to let it sit in the water and vinegar, let it start to do it’s work. When it cools, this means there will be a thick layer of fat on the top, don’t skim it off, it’s good for you. When you make something this good from scratch you want all the benefits. In our house, we don’t usually have enough left to worry about storing it so just stir well before serving it. This recipe takes time and planning to make which means I often double it and then freeze the extra. I prefer to make the matzah from scratch (recipe here), it just tastes better and since this takes time and planning, it’s definitely worth it to take this extra step. This recipe is far from traditional, the lemon and herbs add dimension that after some experimentation I have found to be a lovely complement to the usual savory base of the soups flavor profile, it’s one of my favorites. This recipe yields about 6 healthy servings.
Enjoy! – TKW
Herbed Lemon Matzo, Matzo Ball Soup
Ingredients
For Broth:
- 1 3-4 Pound Chicken
- 2 Tbsp Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
- Enough Water to Cover the Chicken
- 3 Stalks Celery, Cut Into A Couple Pieces
- 2 Large Carrots, Cut Into A Few Pieces
- 1 Large Yellow Onion
- 5 Tomatoes, A Firm Type Like Roma or Plum, Look For A Good Smell
- 1 Small Leek, Sliced Small, Rinsed Well
- 3 Large Sprigs Flat Leaf Parsley
- 3 Large Sprigs Dill
- 6 Cloves Fresh Garlic
- 1 Sprig Fresh Thyme (or 1 tsp Dried Thyme)
- 1 Short Branch Fresh Rosemary (or 1 tsp Dried Rosemary)
- 1/2 tsp Zatar
- 1/2 tsp Montreal Steak Seasoning
- 2 Whole Cloves
- Kosher Salt
For Matzo Balls:
- 4 Large Eggs
- 3 Tbsp Shallot, Chopped Very Fine, Squeezed Dry
- 1 Clove Garlic, Chopped Very Fine
- 1 Drop Lemon Essential Oil (or 1 tsp Finely Grated Lemon Zest)
- 1/4 tsp Grated Fresh Ginger (or 1/4 tsp Ground Dried Ginger - Fresh is Better)
- 1Tbsp Fresh Dill, Chopped Very Fine
- 1 Tbsp Flat Leaf Parsley, Minced Fine
- 1 Cup Fresh Matzah, Crumbled Small
- Kosher Salt
Instructions
To Make The Broth:
- This works better if you chop the whole chicken up first so the vinegar can go to work on the connective tissue so it's worth it to cut it apart but if you aren't comfortable doing that you can just rinse the whole chicken and put it in the pot, cover it with cold filtered water by 2 inches. Add the vinegar and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Add the celery, carrots, onion, leek, tomatoes, parsley, dill, garlic, herbs, spices and 1 tsp kosher salt.
- Bring to a simmer over medium high heat; reduce the heat to maintain a low simmer and cook, skim off the foam occasionally, let cook for about 3 hours until the chicken falls apart. Strain the broth to remove the solids, set aside the shredded chicken, the carrots and celery. Cut it all into small pieces and add them back to the broth.
- The broth can be made up to 3 days in advance, cover and refrigerate. You can also freeze it into single or two person servings, if you do this I recommend freezing the uncooked matzo balls on a cookie sheet and then bagging them into portions to match the portioned broth. When it cools, skim 1/4 cup of the fat off to use in the matzo balls.
To Make The Matzo Balls:
- Warm the reserved fat until it is liquid but not hot, whisk the eggs in a bowl and slowly add the reserved fat being careful not to cook the eggs.
- Stir in the shallot, garlic, lemon essential oil or zest, ginger, dill, parsley an crushed matzah, add 1/4 cup of the broth and 1 3/4 tsp salt. Mix well, then cover and chill at least 2 hours or overnight. When chilled, roll or scoop into teaspoon size dough balls with damp hands so the dough doesn't stick. Cover and chill until ready to cook, at least an hour, but up to 8 hours.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the matzo balls and reduce the heat to maintain a low simmer; cover and cook until the balls are tender, approximately 35 minutes.
- Meanwhile, warm the broth. Drain the matzo balls and serve in the warm broth, garnish with dill sprigs.