Get out the soup pot!

Passover is coming very quickly, and being in charge of the matzah ball soup for 40-ish is quite a responsibility! Today is the day I have scheduled for making the chicken stock for the soup - homemade, of course.

What? You have never tried matzah ball soup? Well, here is the recipe, if you are feeling up to the Jewishness of it all:

Start with the stock preparation; in a stockpot, combine a 4-pound chicken, 4 chopped carrots, two stalks of chopped celery, 1 large onion chunked, 1 bay leaf, a handful of whole peppercorns and 8 to 10 cups of water. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium and simmer for two hours.

After the simmering is complete, remove chicken pieces and set aside. Strain stock, discarding all solids. Transfer to a covered container and chill completely.

When the stock has cooled, remove the fat that has risen to the top and set aside for use in the matzah balls.

When you are ready to serve, you will heat the chicken stock, adding sliced carrots, green onion and salt to taste; cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add your cooked maztah balls to bowls and ladle the stock over them to serve. Mmmmmmm.....

To prepare your homemade matzah balls combine 4 tablespoons of your reserved chicken fat, 6 jumbo eggs, 2 cups of matzah meal, 1-1/2 tablespoons minced onion, fresh cracked (white) pepper, 2 teaspoons dried parsley, 3 teaspoons of salt and 2 teaspoons icy water in a bowl. Mix until combined and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 15 minutes.

Then bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and drop 1" balls of the chilled matzah mixture into the water. Cover and cook for 35 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. (The balls may be prepared in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container up to three days.)

And, that's it! It was a success from the first time I tried this recipe (back in '03), and I've been making it every year since (thanks, Joanie, for passing it on to me!). There is just nothing like homemade matzah ball soup...it just makes you feel loved somehow. *smile*