Matzoballs

An old Jewish joke:

A Martian lands on Earth. Naturally he is hungry after a long journey. He spots a deli on the corner and finds a seat at the counter where he chooses the first item on the menu, a bowl of mazto ball soup. When the waiter sets the soup in front of him the Martian tries the strange dish and likes it very much. "Delicious," he says. "What do they do with the rest of the matzo?" Ba-dum-bum.

The Manischewitz Matzo Meal Matzo Balls recipe:
2 tbs vegetable oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup Manischewitz Matzo Meal
1 tsp salt, if desired
2 tbs soup stock or water

This is printed on the matzo meal container but the matzo balls are way better if you use schmaltz instead of vegetable oil. I used the fat I spooned off the top of the turkey juices Thursday. Of course soup stock is better than water and I do desire salt but schmaltz is the most important thing. (The matzo balls in the picture were made from the Manischewitz recipe increased by half.)

You combine all of these ingredients together and refrigerate. Manischewitz says refrigerate 15 minutes; I say at least 45. Then you shape into balls and simmer in salted water for about 45 minutes. They puff up considerably, so start smallish. It's also important to handle them very gently. Mine are on the big side. If made ahead of time they keep best in soup.

I have tasted many a matzo ball and have seldom encountered one I didn't like. Some are dense sinkers, others are airy floaters, all are fine with me. Mine fall somewhere in between. As with all traditional foods, homemade matzo ball soup is better.

Matzo balls are best eaten in a bowl of homemade chicken soup with a few small pieces of cooked carrot and celery. My mother adds quite a lot of dill, which is nice. It's also nice, though hardly necessary, to have small pieces of chicken in your soup. Since matzo ball soup is often the first or second course of an elaborate meal such as a Passover seder, you don't want to overdo it with portion sizes, so figure on one average-size matzo ball per diner and have extras on hand for gluttons who, with feigned reluctance, accept your offer of a second helping.

Matzo, by the way, rhymes with lotsa. Ain't vowels funny?

Tags: matzo balls, food and drink (What are these? Just something I'm trying. Give them a click if you're really curious.)