Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls

Coal House Cafe

Owners - Zsolt Galambos and John Kadar

Entrance of Coal House Cafe

They kept their recipe locked up!!!!

Sign for Chicken Soup W/Matzo Balls

Award winner - you must try their soup!!!

This week we have our Souper Daughter Heather making Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls. Heather has a love for food that goes way back - she was always cooking at home!!. She has owned her own restaurant - Groover's Downstairs Cafe, coffee house - Eat Dessert First and Purity Ice Cream, http://www.purityicecream.com/ , so she comes with lots of food experience. Bruce, her husband, took us out for lunch at the Coal House Cafe and we had their famous Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls. Their soup is so delicious that it became the inspiration for making our soup. I found a recipe in Cooking Light - April 2008, that we used as our basis. We changed and tweaked as we cooked. The matzo balls were not easy to make, but the flavor with the ginger and nutmeg is quite delectable. I hope you enjoy this chicken soup with the distinctive matzo balls.

Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls

Souper Heather/Souper Sarah

This is a must-have soup to start the spring rites. Prepare the broth a day ahead, so it's easier to skim the fat. You can assemble the matzo balls up to a day ahead, too.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 8

Broth:

1 32 oz box chicken broth

2 quarts water

5 - 6 chicken leg quarters

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon thyme

Vegetables and Herbs:

1 1/2 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion chopped

1 cup parsnips chopped

2 cups carrots chopped

2 cups celery chopped

4 cups finely zucchini chopped

1 tablespoon fresh dill chopped

2 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

salt

pepper

Matzo balls:

1 1/2 cups matzo meal

2 egg yolks

2 egg whites - beat until stiff

1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped

1 tablespoon fresh dill chopped

3 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 - Wash, clean chicken and pat dry.

2 - To prepare broth, combine first 5 ingredients in a large stockpot; bring to a boil. Reduce beat, and simmer 2 hours or until chicken falls off the bone. De-bone the chicken and cut into bit size pieces. Cover and chill broth overnight. Skim solidified fat from surface and discard.

Skim solidified fat from surface




Bowl of bite size pieces of chicken

3 - Heat broth over medium heat.

4 - In a large fry pan add butter and oil over medium heat. Add all vegetables except zucchini and stir until soft, about 10 minutes. Add zucchini, dill, parsley and turmeric; stir for 2 minutes and then combine with broth along with chicken pieces. Season to taste. Continue simmering.

Cutting parsnips - Mom favorites!




Add vegetables to a large fry pan





Heather stirring vegetables!






Chicken broth with vegetable simmering

5 - To prepare matzo balls, combine matzo meal, egg yolks, parsley, dill, olive oil, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Fold in beaten egg whites; cover and chill 4 hours or overnight.

Ingredients ready for mixing matzo balls

Matzo balls mix - ready for chilling

6 - Simmer for another 5 minutes.



Serve piping hot!

We add turmeric to this recipe for it's flavor - distinctly earthy, slightly bitter, slightly hot peppery flavor and a mustardy smell and for it's color - golden mustard. In medieval Europe, turmeric became know as Indian Saffron, since it was widely used as an alternative to the far more expensive saffron spice. Turmeric is currently being investigated for possible benefits in Alzheimer's disease, cancer, arthritis, and other clinical. " Wikipedia" I am fascinated with the flavors of herbs and how they intertwine with our health.

It is always fun when Heather and my Mom are cooking here. We had lots of laughs and did all those crazy things that cooks do!!!. Heather has a plan for making Bouillabaisse with us this summer. I checked to see what kind of soup this was and here is what I found out - it is perhaps the most famous of all Mediterranean fish soup. She has made this in New York City at a cooking weekend ( her picture was in New York magazine), so I know it will be good. Thank you Heather for cooking with me again!

The thought for the week -

Rather than just beautifying your skin, nourish it. (Body & Soul - March 2010)

Happy souping until we meet again!

Souper Sarah