KosherEye.com
Adapted by June Hersh
June Hersh, food lecturer, culinary expert and author of the cookbook "The Kosher Carnivore," shared a live on-air recipe with TV anchor Sukanya Krishnan on PIX11 (New York City). We present the recipe but suggest that you also watch the video for extra soup-making tips and secrets from June.
Ingredients
For the Broth:
1 whole (3- to 4- pound) hen
1-tablespoon kosher salt
4 celery stalks, with leaves, cleaned and chopped
3 carrots, cleaned and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 leeks, cleaned and chopped
3 whole unpeeled garlic cloves
4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
3 sprigs dill
½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 dried bay leaves
For the garnish
Carrot rounds (blanched till soft)
Chopped fresh dill
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
For the Matzo Balls:
1 cup Matzo Meal
4 eggs
1 ounce rendered chicken fat (schmaltz)
½ ounce kosher Salt
½ teaspoon double-acting or Passover friendly baking powder
2 ounces seltzer
Directions
For the Broth:
Rub chicken with kosher salt, inside and out. Let stand 15 minutes. Rinse well under cold water. Pat dry with paper towel. Put chicken in a large pot and cover with cold water by 3 inches. Bring to boil. Impurities will rise to the top; skim off and discard. Add the rest of the broth ingredients. Bring back to a boil, skim again, then reduce to a simmer. After simmering for 45 minutes (or until chicken is cooked) remove chicken from the pot. Take the meat off of the bone (save meat for another meal) and put bones back in pot and cook for 1 hour more. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a cheesecloth. Cool in the refrigerator. When cool, the fat will rise to the top and solidify, making it easy to remove
For the Matzo Balls:
In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients except the seltzer and mix well. Add seltzer and set the mixture aside, covered, in the refrigerator, for 1 hour. Fill a large-diameter pot ¾ full with water and bring to a simmer. With wet hands roll the matzo mixture into 1-ounce balls. Lower balls into water on a slotted spoon. Cook until the matzo balls are tender, 45 to 60 minutes (test with tooth pick or do what Eric Bromberg does and cut in half). The balls should be light and fluffy in the center. Let the matzo balls cool.
For the soup:
Bring the broth to a boil with the carrot rounds, the dill, and the matzo balls. Season to taste. The soup is ready to serve when the matzo balls are warm in the center.
Notes
About 8 to 10 servings
Start to finish: Under 2 ½ hours
Recipe: Kosher, Soup, Matzo Balls, Passover