Passover (Pesach) is a special time of year. It’s one of the most important holidays for Jewish people, and a time when others can thank God for their freedom from slavery and pray for the release of those who still live in bondage.
A favorite dish for this holiday is matzo ball soup. Matzot are the special unleavened bread that, according to the Bible, the Jewish people were instructed to make because they would have to get ready to leave Egypt in a hurry. There was no time to let bread rise. Matzo balls are often made from matzo meal, which are crushed matzot. Some people used soaked matzot rather than matzo meal. This recipe uses the meal.
For the matzo balls, you will need:
- 2 cups matzo meal
- 1 tsp. baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate)
- 1 tsp. citric acid (lemon salts)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon schmaltz or palm kernel oil
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup cold water
For the soup, you will need:
- 2 liters of water
- 3-4 tablespoons kosher chicken soup powder, preferably Vita from Israel
- Alternatively, you can use 2 liters of chicken soup made from scratch instead.
Instructions:
- Mix the dry ingredients for the matzo balls in a large bowl.
- Cut in the schmaltz until it is crumbly without too many large clumps.
- Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, and then beat the water into them.
- Add them to the dry ingredients. You may need to smash it with your fingers.
- You should have something that’s about the texture of a very heavy biscuit dough. If not, add a little more water at a time until you do.
- Cover the matzo ball dough with plastic wrap, and let it set in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
- Prepare your soup by mixing the powder with the water, and bring it to a good rolling boil.
- Take your matzo ball dough out, and have it ready. Also get a bowl of water to set next to it.
- Wet your hands so that the dough doesn’t stick to them, and begin rolling balls and dropping them into the soup. The balls should be about the size of a large marble. It helps if you can do more than one at a time, and get the help of another person.
- When you run out of dough, cover the pot, and turn the heat down to low.
- Let it simmer for an hour and a half to two hours.
Serve them hot.
