ChiCken Soup With Matzoh Balls

Ingredients

Matzoh balls

100 ml vegetable oil

2 medium onions, finely diced

½ bunch chives, chopped

6 eggs, lightly beaten

300 g matzoh meal salt and pepper

1 litre chicken stock

Method:

1. heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onions until lightly golden. remove from the heat.

2. in a bowl, mix the chives, eggs, matzoh meal and the sautéed onion. season with salt and pepper, and mix well. Taste the mixture to ensure it is well seasoned.

3. Refrigerate for 1–2 hours.

4. Divide the mixture into four and roll each into a thin sausage shape and cut into 35–40 even pieces— this will save time ripping at the mixture, guessing the same size balls.

5. roll each cut piece into a ball and place on a tray.

6. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the balls for 30 minutes.

7. remove the cooked balls and set aside ready for use.

8. remember to reheat before using in the chicken soup.

9. reheat the chicken stock, add the matzoh balls (4 per serve) and serve.

HINTS AND TIPS:

* You will need—cutting board, knife, large stock or soup pot, fine sieve, some muslin cloth (optional), sauté pan, wooden spoon, tray, saucepan, and weight and liquid measures.

* Leftover soup can be used as a stock for many other soups. Or freeze in containers for another day.

* Traditionally, a chicken soup was made as above but using a whole chicken and then the meat from the bird was added back into the soup. The problem with this is the meat has relinquished all of its nutrients into the stock and is too dry.

* Some cooks like to finish the soup with green peas and diced carrot.

* If you want to add some chicken meat to the strained soup, use some chicken breast fillets, thinly sliced and poached for several minutes in the simmering soup.

* A common catchcry throughout this book is that there are as many recipes as there are cooks. And so ... for all the Jewish cooks who cross this recipe—my apologies