EST. 2011 BY LIZ RUEVEN
Chicken Soup with Colorful Matzah Balls

Chicken Soup with Colorful Matzah Balls

As Passover week approaches, I turned to kosher cookbook author, Susie Fishbein, for an idea on how to make my chicken soup and matzah balls festive and unique.

Fishbein is the author of seven KOSHER BY DESIGN books, all of which I love.

I keep at least four of them handy for reference and inspiration in my own kitchen.  Her recipes and ingredients are youthful and contemporary, while respecting dishes that are familiar from previous generations of great cooks.

Fishbein’s magnificent volume, Passover by Design: Picture Perfect Kosher by Design Recipes for the Holiday, will become your indispensable resource for both the basics and innovative twists on favorite ideas.  Vibrant images and easy to follow recipes entice us to try these great ideas and make them our own.

 

Her tri-colored matzah balls will illuminate this glistening broth at your holiday table and impress everyone. What a unique and great idea for changing it up.

Wishing all of my readers a sweet celebration with family and friends!

Reproduced from Passover by Design by Susie Fishbein with permission from the copyright holders ArtScroll / Mesorah Publications, LTD.

 

 

 

Chicken Soup

8 servings

Chicken Soup

A bouquet garni is a bundle of herbs tied together with kitchen string or placed into a cheesecloth bag. The flavors infuse into the dish, yet it is easily removable after cooking.

Ingredients

  • 1 chicken, cut in eighths, with skin on
  • 4-6 chicken thighs or legs, with skin on
  • 2 large parsnips, peeled
  • 2 large carrots, peeled
  • 2 stalks celery, cut into large pieces
  • 1-2 large leeks, sliced in half and cleaned thoroughly
  • 1 onion
  • 1 turnip, peeled and quartered
  • 1 bouquet garni of 10 parsley sprigs, 10 dill sprigs, 1 bay leaf, 10 peppercorns
  • 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Place the chicken into a large pot and cover with cold water.
  2. Add an additional 4–5 inches of cold water. Bring to a boil.
  3. Using a small strainer, skim the fat and impurities from the top of the soup as they rise.
  4. Add the parsnips, carrots, celery, leeks, onion, turnip, bouquet garni, salt, and pepper.
  5. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1 1/2–2 hours.
  6. Strain the foam and impurities off as needed.
  7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  8. Turn off the heat.
  9. When soup has cooled to room temperature, pour it through a strainer.
  10. This will eliminate any chicken bones or stray skin.
  11. Return the vegetables and chicken pieces, discarding bones, to the pot.
  12. This also allows you to transfer to a smaller pot so that it will fit into your refrigerator.

Spinach Matzah Balls

6 balls

Due to the high water content of fresh spinach, these matzo balls may be a little harder to roll than the other two flavors. If this occurs, add some extra matzo ball mix or matzo meal, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the batter can be rolled into balls. You want to use as little extra as possible so that the matzo balls remain light and fluffy.

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs, plus 1 egg white
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
  • 1 cup matzo ball mix (usually both bags out of a box)

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl whisk the eggs and the oil.
  2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process the spinach until puréed.
  3. Squeeze the water out of the spinach.
  4. Add the spinach purée into the egg mixture.
  5. Whisk to incorporate.
  6. Sprinkle in 1 cup (2 bags) of the matzo ball mix.
  7. Stir in with a fork, mixing as little as possible. Don’t overwork it.
  8. Chill in freezer for 20 minutes.
  9. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water or chicken stock to a boil.
  10. Wet your hands in a bowl of cold water.
  11. Using your hand, and manipulating as little as possible, scoop out a ping-pong-ball size of the mixture.
  12. Form into a ball with your fingertips, using no real pressure.
  13. Bring the water down to a simmer.
  14. Drop the balls into the water.
  15. Cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes.

Tomato Matzah Balls

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs, plus 1 egg white
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/2-3/4 cup matzo ball mix (usually 1-11/2 bags out of a box)

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl whisk the eggs and the oil.
  2. Add the tomato paste into the egg mixture.
  3. Whisk to incorporate fully.
  4. Sprinkle in 1/2 cup (1 bag) of the matzo ball mix.
  5. Stir in with a fork, mixing as little as possible. Don’t overwork it.
  6. Chill in refrigerator for 20 minutes.
  7. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water or chicken stock to a boil.
  8. Wet your hands in a bowl of cold water.
  9. Using your hand, and manipulating as little as possible, scoop out a ping-pong-ball size of the mixture.
  10. Add more matzo ball mix or matzo meal as needed.
  11. Form into a ball with your fingertips, using no real pressure.
  12. Bring the water down to a simmer.
  13. Drop the balls into the water.
  14. Cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes.

 

9 Comments

    • Ditto and thank you! If you take a look at my blog roll you will see Bittersweet there. It is a great vegan blog by a brilliant and talented young writer/photographer from our neck of the woods. Her dessert book, MY SWEET VEGAN , is great for vegans and kosher keepers looking for non-dairy desserts.

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SIDE DISH
Photo by Jerri Graham Photography

Hi. I’m Liz and I welcome you to Kosher Like Me.

When I’m not caressing fruits and veggies at my local farmers’ market you’ll likely find me chatting with like-minded eaters, probing the scene in NYC or seeking inspiration in my spice cabinet. Life outside of this blog is all about my family, tasty travel adventures and power walks deep in the CT woods or along the shore.

Please brew a fragrant cup of tea, grab a nosh and stay a while.