Matzah Ball Soup

Parts of this article were originally published in Garden City Patch.

Passover commemorates the Israelites’ exodus out of Egypt. The eight day holiday is steeped in tradition and delicious food. These are dishes that have been lovingly passed down from generation to generation.

One favorite, Matzah Ball Soup (also spelled Matzo or Matzoh), can be enjoyed any time of year. When done correctly it is the perfect meal in a bowl and one that any Grandmother or bubbe, would approve of.

Yesterday, we told you about three local places selling pre-made items for Passover consumption.

Of course, Bayside’s most famous Matzah Ball soup spot is Ben’s Kosher Deli, but Ben’s isn’t kosher for Passover, according to their Web site. But if all this talk of deli food has left you with a pre-holiday craving, or you don’t mind that it’s not kosher for Passover, it’s there in Bay Terrace for you.

Ronnie Dragoon, CEO/founder of Ben’s Kosher Deli, said Matzah Balls are known as either “floaters or sinkers” and theirs are definitely floaters. “Our patrons favor the lighter and fluffier matzoh balls. We add baking powder and let the uncooked matzoh balls stand in the refrigerator for one hour before boiling,” Dragoon said. He adds that Ben’s menu features “great Jewish cooking with its origins in Eastern Europe,” and likens it to the “great foods of Italy.”

Here’s how you can make your own:

RECIPE

Oma’s Fabulous Matzo Ball Soup

Ingredients

2 (10 ounce) packages matzo crackers
1/2 cup margarine
6 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 onions, minced
5 ounces matzo meal
96 ounces chicken broth

Directions

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
Break matzo crackers into small pieces, and place in a large bowl. Add water to cover; allow to soak for a few minutes, until soft. Drain off excess water.
Melt margarine in a large skillet over medium heat and stir in drained matzos; stir until mixture is dry and slightly brown. Remove from heat, and mix in eggs, salt and pepper to taste, parsley and onions.
Mix in just enough matzo meal to make mixture hold together. Roll one golf ball-sized matzo ball. Place matzo ball in the boiling water to test the mixture. The ball must rise to the top of the water and not break apart. If it does not rise, then too much matzo meal was added. In this case, add another beaten egg to the mixture and try again. When desired consistency is reached, roll all of mixture into golf ball-sized spheres.
In a large saucepan, bring chicken broth to a slow boil over medium heat; add balls to broth. Serve soup as the balls rise to the top of the broth.

If you have your own version of the recipe, tell everyone in the comments section.

Recipe has been adapted, and reprinted with permission of AllRecipes.com. Author: May Gerstle.

______________________________________________________________________
If you require a high quality printout of this article, just click on the printer symbol next to ’Share and enjoy’, and we will do the rest. This site is hosted by (click on the graphic for more information) matzah

Return from baked matzah to Home Page

If you want to increase your site popularity and gain thousands of visitors – check out these sites THEY ARE FREE. Spanishchef more than doubled its ‘New Visitors’ last month simply by signing up to these sites: