Passover is around the corner which means the spotlight on Jewish penicillin is coming and its coming in hot. That's right, its matzoh ball soup time!
I'm just going to go ahead and say it, everyone's got an opinion on how they like their balls, starting with how to spell matzoh ball in the first place. Some like 'em light and fluffy, some dense - the ultimate floater vs. sinker debate (this has middle school science fair project written all over it and I am very upset that I am just coming up with this idea now). Some prefer making them from scratch, others like to use the box stuff.
How do I like 'em? Well thank you for asking. I like the balls fluffy almost all the way through, with a tad bit of a bite in the middle. That being said, I'm never going to turn a matzoh ball down. Can Jewish people do that? Or is that an automatic disqualification?
I have definitely made matzoh ball soup, balls and soup, from scratch and its delish. My go-to option though is straight from the box because just like when you're making brownies, the box just seems to always taste better. Now, that doesn't mean you can't zugh up your stuff.
Food writer and author Faith Kramer has some great tips in her cookbook, 52 Shabbats. Here are some of her tips:
- "Handle the dough as little as possible if you want fluffy matzo balls, and allow room in the pot to expand"
- "Cook matzoh balls in simmering - not boiling - water, intense boiling can break apart the dumplings."
- "Compact the batter into smooth, round balls if you want picture-perfect, pleasantly chewy matzo balls. Put more in the pot to allow less room to expand."
- "Select the right liquid to mix in." Faith says that "legions of Jewish cooks, including her, swear that plain, unflavored seltzer water (not sparkling mineral water or club soda) makes for lighter and fluffier knaidlach (I just learned this word for matzoh balls
You can find more of Faith's articles here: https://jweekly.com/author/faith-kramer/, and more information about her cookbook on her website: https://faithkramer.com/
Let me know what some of your favorite tips are and happy Matzoh Ball soup season!
In love and soup bowls,
Courtney