Alex Levin's Matzo Ball Soup
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By Alex Levin, photography by Jennifer Chase
To make the most flavorful soup, always start off with fresh chicken stock. Since it takes a few hours to prepare, make sure it is done first on the prep list for dinner. Most of the time is spent waiting, so many other dishes can be made during that time.
Chicken Stock
Yields 5 quarts
8 pounds chicken bones
5 quarts cold water
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 large onions, diced
8 stalks celery, diced
8 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 bunch fresh parsley
1 bunch fresh dill
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
Preparation
Rinse the chicken bones and place in a large stockpot. Add the water and salt and bring to a simmer. Add enough extra water to cover the bones by 2 inches. Skim the surface with a ladle to remove any scum and impurities that surface. Simmer for 2 hours.
Add the onions, celery, carrots, parsley, dill and peppercorns and simmer for 1 more hour. Skim the surface again as needed.
Strain the stock and use it immediately.
Matzo Balls
No lie: The best matzo balls are made from the Streit’s matzo ball mix, which is a lot easier to find year-round in supermarkets than finding matzo meal, which is widely available at Passover but otherwise harder to hunt down.
4 large eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
1 box / 2 bags of matzo ball mix
Preparation
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, combine the eggs with the oil, then stir in the matzo ball mix. Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes, then use a small cookie scoop to portion/scoop even balls the size of 2 walnuts and place on a tray.
Once scooped, roll into balls then drop all of the balls into the pot of boiling water. Cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the matzo balls and reserve on a tray while preparing the soup.
Chicken Soup
1 batch chicken stock (from the above recipe)
4 boneless chicken breasts
8 stalks celery, cut into 4-inch pieces
8 large carrots, peeled and cut into 4-inch pieces
4 large parsnips, peeled and cut into 4-inch pieces
1 batch matzo balls (above)
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
Italian parsley sprigs
Preparation
Place the stock in a large stockpot, add the chicken breasts, celery, carrots and parsnips and bring to a simmer. Skim the surface to remove any scum and impurities. Cook for 1 hour.
Strain the soup to remove all impurities. Collect the chicken, carrot and celery pieces and clean in running water. Return the broth, chicken, carrots and celery to a cleaned stockpot. Add the cooked matzo balls, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 25 more minutes.
Serve immediately; ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with parsley sprigs.
You can make this ahead: Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze matzo balls and soup separately to store for up to 1 month.
Chef Alex Levin is the executive pastry chef at the Schlow Restaurant Group (Alta Strada, The Riggsby, Casolare, Tico and more…) and loves to cook a traditional Shabbat for friends. Many of his cooking traditions stem from his grandmother, Martha Hadassah Nadich, where as a boy he would cook by her side in her NYC kitchen.
