Nga Nguyen

Matzo soup

The day has come. Master Gil finally agreed to share with us his grandma’s matzo soup recipe! We gathered all the ingredients and were ready.

Master Gil: Friends, full disclosure – I never made this dish before.
Bertha, Claudia, me: ?????

The lesson continued…

Master Gil: You add water to the matzo meal. Not too much. Not too little.
Bertha, Claudia, me: HOW MUCH???
Master Gil: Just enough water, guys!
Bertha, Claudia, me: S@()%RIu”JHIH!!!

After 3+ hours, our soup turned out to be very yummy…

Master Gil (dabbed his forehead): You guys stressed me out.
Bertha, Claudia, me: On a scale of one to ten, how stress?
Master Gil: It is DIFFICULT to quantify my feeling!!
Bertha, Claudia, me: How difficult, on a scale of one to ten?
Master Gil: D@)(TA)@Y*(TUQ!!!

We loved Master Gil. Our next lesson will involve alcohol. We need it.

Matzo soup

Soup:
3 lbs of Chicken with bones but preferably without skin or a lot of fat. Drumsticks work great.
2 lbs Beef bones for soup, ideally with marrow
1 celery root
2 parsnips or parsley roots
6 carrot (peeled)
1 leek
1 onion
½ bunch of flat-leaf parsley
½ bunch of dill
6 cloves of garlic
1 bay leaf

Matzo balls:
1  cup of matzo meal
4 large eggs
2 tsp of salt
½ cup of carbonated water
½ cup of oil (canola or other type of vegetable oil)

To make the soup:

  1. In a large stockpot, put the bones and chicken and cover with water.
  2. Boil and then simmer until foam is created.
  3. Remove foam and excess fat with a spoon.
  4. Add vegetables and bring back to a simmer.
    • Note: Master Gil usually waits with the herbs to see if some more foam is created because it’s harder to remove it with the herbs in.
  5. Add more water to cover all the content in the pot.
  6. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Simmer, partially covered, for at least a couple of hours.
  8. Strain the soup/broth.

To make the matzo balls

  1. Mix all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  2. Create balls in the size of ping-pong balls. If the mixture is too liquid, add matso meal.
  3. Boil water in a large pot and add salt or a bouillon cube.
  4. Drop the balls into the boiling water and bring back to a boil.
  5. Reduce to lower heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes.
    • Note: If you make the balls ahead of time, the best way to reheat them is in the soup.