Measuring cups and spoons, Mixing bowls, Mixing spoon, Stock pot or >5 Qt pot, Top Stove
Ingredients
Soup Ingredients
10piecechicken drumstick
4carrotsliced into 1/4 inch chunks
3stalkcelerywith the leaves, sliced into 1/2 inch chunks
2zucchinisliced 1/2 inch chunks
1onionlarge rinsed
1celery rootpeeled
1bunchfresh dillset a side 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
1bunchItalian parsley
2bay leaf
10whole black peppercorns
3clovegarlic
12cupwater
1tablespoonKosher salt
1tablespoonchicken bouillon cubeadd up to 1 more tablespoon for 10 servings if needed
Matzo Ball Ingredients
4egglarge
4tablespoonavocado oilor light olive oil
2tablespoonseltzer water
1cupmatzo meal
1teaspoonbaking powderif making for Passover and keeping kosher, make sure the brand is certified kosher for passover
¼teaspoonKosher salt
¼teaspoongarlic powder
¼teaspoononion powder
1tablespoonfresh dillchopped
1pinchsaffron threadsoptional
Instructions
Soup Instructions
Boil the chicken in water in a large pot until it reaches a boil. Skim off any foam, discard the water and add 12 cups of fresh water to continue cooking.
Add all the rest of the soup ingredients (reserve the 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill for later). Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer (around medium-low heat) and cook for 60 mins.
When ready, remove from the soup the celery root, parsley root and leaves, onion, dill and bay leaves. Leave the carrots, zucchini and celery stalk.
Add the chopped dill you put aside. Adjust seasoning to taste, adding more salt if desired.
Matzo Ball Instructions
While the soup is cooking, make the matzo balls. Whisk eggs in a small mixing bowl with vegetable oil and seltzer water. Use a fork to stir in the matzo meal, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and chopped fresh dill to make a thick batter. Place the batter in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes, 30 minutes will be best.
While the batter is chilling, in a second pot combine 3 quarts (12 cups) of water with a pinch of saffron and 1 tbsp salt. Bring to a simmer, stir to dissolve the salt. Keep the salted saffron water hot until the matzo ball mixture is fully chilled.
Place a small dish of cold water beside the pot of saffron water. Take the chilled matzo ball batter out of the refrigerator. Bring the saffron water to a simmer. Wet your hands and roll the matzo ball batter into walnut-sized balls, then gently drop them into the simmering saffron water. Wet your hands between each ball; this makes forming them easier. Don't make them larger than walnuts, they'll expand a lot as they cook!
When all of the matzo balls are in the water, bring back to a low bubbling simmer (not a heavy boil) and cover the pot. Let the matzo balls simmer for 30-35 minutes, keeping the pot covered for at least the first 30 minutes until it's cooked through. Keeping the pot covered will help the matzo balls become fluffy.
Comments
A note about the matzo balls: this recipe contains baking powder. If you keep kosher, there are, in fact, several brands of kosher for Passover baking powder. It makes for lighter, fluffier matzo balls. If you're not concerned about fluffiness to feel free to omit; your matzo balls will turn out more dense, like "sinkers."
A note about saffron: Invest in good quality saffron. If a bottle of saffron threads costs less than $10, it’s probably not worth buying. Imitation saffron often sold in a bag under the name "American Saffron" or "Mexican saffron," do not impart the flavor of true saffron-- in fact, they have no flavor at all and are used mostly to color foods.
Reheating Instructions
Keep the matzo balls separate until ready to serve. Drop the desired amount of balls into the soup, heat the pot before serving, serve 1.5 cups of soup, a drumstick and veggies along with 2 matza balls.