Spring Chicken Soup With Matzoh Balls Recipes

Steps:

• Cook broth:
• Wash leeks in a bowl of cold water, agitating them to remove all sand and grit, then lift out and transfer to an 8-quart stockpot.
• Add all remaining broth ingredients to pot and bring to a boil over medium heat.
• Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, skimming foam occasionally, 3 hours.
• Make matzo balls:
• Stir together matzo meal, parsley, dill, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a bowl.
• Work rendered chicken fat into mixture with your fingers until incorporated, then stir in 1/2 cup broth from chicken and yolks. Mixture will be stiff.
• Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt in another bowl until they just form soft peaks.
• Stir one-third of egg whites into matzo mixture to lighten, and then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Chill, covered, 30 minutes. If after being chilled, the matzo mixture is still not firm, add 1 tablespoon additional matzo meal.
• Finish soup:
• Transfer chicken from broth to a cutting board to cool. When cool enough to handle, tear chicken into shreds, discarding skin and bones.
• Remove carrots from broth and once cool, cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Line a large sieve with a double layer of dampened paper towels. Pour broth through sieve into a 5-to 6-quart pot, pressing hard on and discarding solids. Return broth to a simmer.
• With dampened hands, gently form chilled matzo mixture into roughly 1-inch balls, gently dropping them into simmering soup as formed (this should yield about 20 matzo balls; moisten hands as necessary to prevent sticking).
• Simmer matzo balls, covered, until just cooked through, about 45 minutes (To test: Halve one matzo ball. It should have a uniformly moist interior; if uncooked, it will be dry in the center).
• Stir carrots and chicken into hot soup to warm through before serving.
• Garnish with dill sprigs.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix eggs with the melted butter or margarine. Stir in matzo meal, parsley, salt, pepper, and water to form a soft dough. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Bring chicken broth and carrots to a boil in a large pot. Reduce heat to a simmer. Shape the matzo dough into 12 balls. (For easier shaping, dip hands in cold water from time to time). Drop the matzo balls into the simmering broth. Cover and cook for 30 to 40 minutes.

Steps:

• For the chicken stock: Place the chicken bones, garlic, celery, carrots, onions, parsley, salt, peppercorns, cloves and bay leaves in a 10-quart or larger pressure cooker. Pour in about 16 cups water to just cover ingredients by 1 inch. Add more water if necessary but do not fill more than two-thirds of the pot. Cover and lock the lid. Bring to pressure according to manufacturer's instructions. (If the cooker has two levels of pressure, cook on the lowest.) Adjust the heat to maintain pressure, and cook for 45 minutes.
• Let the pressure subside by itself (natural method), or if in a rush, run cold water over the lid for a few minutes.
• Strain the liquid through a colander lined with layers of cheesecloth. Discard the solids.
• Cool uncovered and refrigerate overnight until the fat floats and solidifies. Remove the fat and save a small amount for matzo balls.
• Storage: Refrigerate up to 4 days. Important to bring to a rolling boil for at least 1 minute before using. Freeze up to 6 months.
• For the matzo balls: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the seltzer, schmaltz, salt, pepper and eggs. Then in a separate bowl, add the baking soda to the matzo meal and mix together. Next, add the matzo meal mixture into the egg mixture while stirring to a loose consistency. It will look watery, like a loose porridge. If it becomes too thick, either don't add the full amount of matzo meal or add a bit more seltzer. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Fill a large pot with water and salt and bring to a simmer. With wet hands, roll out balls and gently drop to the water. Simmer until tender, light and fluffy in the center, 45 to 60 minutes. (To test centers, insert a toothpick, which should slide easily all the way through.) Allow to cool in the water undisturbed. Refrigerate in the cooking liquid or transfer to chicken soup.
• Serve with assorted garnishes.

Steps:

• Place the chickens, onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, parsley, thyme, dill, garlic and seasonings in a 16- to 20-quart stockpot. Add 7 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Remove 2 of the chickens and allow to cool slightly. Remove the breast meat from both chickens and set aside. Return the remaining chicken and carcasses to the pot and continue simmering, uncovered, for 3 more hours. Strain the entire contents of the pot through a colander and chill. Remove the surface fat, then reheat the stock as follows, or pack in containers and freeze.
• To serve the soup, return the stock to the pot and reheat, adding the diced carrots, celery, dill and parsley. Shred the reserved chicken breast meat into large pieces and add to the stock. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes to cook the vegetables and reheat the chicken. Season to taste and serve as is, or ladle each serving over 1 or 2 warm matzo balls.
• Whisk together the egg yolks, 1/2 cup chicken stock, chicken fat, parsley and salt. Stir in the matzo meal. In the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are stiff. Whisk them into the matzo mixture until it is smooth. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, or until the mixture is thick.
• Bring a pot of chicken stock to a simmer (about 3 quarts). Form matzo balls the size of golf balls by shaping them with 2 spoons, rolling them with your hands or scooping them with a small ice cream scoop. Drop them into the simmering stock and cook for 30 minutes, or until fully cooked and puffed, turning once. Remove and serve hot in the chicken soup.

Steps:

• To make the soup on the stovetop, combine chicken, onions, celery, carrots, dill, bay leaf, and 3 quarts water in a large pot. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, partially covered, for at least five hours. Skim the surface of the soup occasionally to remove any foam that develops.
• Remove the chicken and vegetables from the broth; discard vegetables. Strain the broth, cool, and refrigerate overnight. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the chicken meat from the bones, and chop or shred the meat; cover and refrigerate.
• To make the soup in a pressure cooker, add chicken, onions, celery, carrots, dill, bay leaf, and water to the pressure cooker as directed in step 1, seal the pressure cooker, and bring it up to full pressure. Reduce the heat, maintaining full pressure, and cook for 30 minutes. Allow the pressure to drop naturally. Remove chicken and vegetables from broth. Strain the broth; discard vegetables. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove chicken meat from bones as directed in step 2.
• Combine vegetable oil, eggs, basil, parsley, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and black pepper in a bowl; mix well. Stir in the matzo meal, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Bring at least 3 quarts of water, or as needed, and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil in a large pot. Using wet hands, gently shape the matzo mixture into balls about 2 inches across and drop them in the boiling water. Simmer for 20 minutes.
• Skim the fat off the chilled chicken broth and place broth in a pot over medium heat. Add salt to taste and the reserved cooked chicken, if desired (see Cook's Note). Transfer the cooked matzo balls to the chicken soup and heat to serve.