Matzo Ball Soup: good for the soul

Soup

1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil

2 cloves garlic (or however much your heart desires)

1 onion

3 carrots

3 stalks celery

1 chicken breast

6 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

Freshly cracked pepper

Few sprigs of fresh dill

Instructions

1. Mince the garlic and dice the onion, celery, and carrots.

2. Sauté the garlic, onion, celery, and carrots with the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat until the onions are soft and transparent (about five minutes).

3. Add the chicken breast, broth, water, pepper, and one or two sprigs of dill to the pot. Place a lid on and let it come to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 30 minutes

4. Carefully remove the chicken breast and shred it with a fork. Return the shredded chicken to the soup. Taste the broth and adjust the salt if needed

5. Add the matzo balls, and let the soup simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on

6. Add fresh dill before serving if desired

Recipe is taken from: https://www.budgetbytes.com/matzo-ball-soup/

Matzo Balls

2-3 eggs

1 tbsp oil

Salt

Pepper

½ cup water

Matzo meal

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients together until it reaches the consistency of thick oatmeal and plops off a spoon

2. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours

3. Form into ping-pong-sized balls

4. Cook in water or cook slowly in boiling soup

My Story:

Matzo ball soup is a staple in almost every Jewish household. All of my non-Jewish friends know exactly what it is, and beg to have some soup when they come for dinner. Every deli in the northeast sells it, and it’s probably the most well-known Jewish food. A Jewish delicacy if you will.

What makes matzo ball soup so special is what I mentioned before, how special it is to Jewish culture, and how well-known it has become to Goyim or non-Jews. Throughout the different sects of Judaism, other traditions, customs, and foods differentiate the groups. Ashkenazi Jews, or Jews whose families originate from Europe, and Sephardic Jews, Middle Eastern, and Western European Jews, have vastly different lives and practice Judaism very differently. However, matzo ball soup seems to be the common thread between our cultures.

Matzo ball soup will forever be my favorite comfort food. No matter where I order from or what soup is made for me, nothing will make me feel more whole or better than my mom's or my grandmother’s matzo ball soups. Whenever I am sick, the only thing I crave is soup, even better if it’s fresh off the stove. It makes me feel better than any medicine I’ve ever taken. Matzo ball soup is known to warm the heart of anyone who eats it.

My love for matzo ball soup has been around for as long as I can remember eating it. Much like Grandma’s chocolate cake, matzo ball soup is our appetizer for every Shabbat dinner. I can’t recall a Friday night when there wasn't a pot of boiling soup on the stove when I got home from school. My mom would always start a pot every Friday morning after my siblings and I left for school. She would make the matzo balls fresh every week, and it was always my favorite thing to eat. Nothing will ever beat a fresh piece of challah dipped in matzo ball soup. My mom would always save the leftovers and we would have them for lunch Saturday after Shabbat services and periodically for dinner throughout the week. 

I was always told that “matzo ball soup is good for the soul,” almost like its own form of Jewish soul food. What makes matzo ball soup soul food to me is the fact that while it is so simple and easy to make, it is always made with so much care. Despite the few ingredients and minimal attention the soup needs, I have never eaten matzo ball soup without being able to taste the love and time that has gone into it. Matzo ball soup is also incredibly special because it becomes whatever you want it to be, and can become your own. 

My grandmothers and mom each have different soups and matzo balls recipes. Each has crafted their favorite flavors and textures into their recipes and made them their own. My sister who just moved away for graduate school took my mom's recipe and changed it around to make it her own. The recipe I have provided is just a base for the soup, it is free to add whatever flare and pizzazz you want.

Matzo ball soup recipes are passed from generation to generation and from family to family. They are made to be changed and edited, and yet honor those who came before us. Every bowl is filled with familial histories as we share stories and laughs with those around us. It warms the soul and provides care and comfort to anyone who eats it. It is perfect for any holiday or family gathering, so long as you put your love and care into every bowl you make.