Serves 6
This incredible soup is prepared and cooked in two days; if
the stock is refrigerated over night, it’s much easier to remove the fat. See the bottom of this post for a heartier or lighter version.
Ingredients
- 10 cups water (reserve ¼ cup for matzo balls)
- 1/2 chicken cut into large sections: breast, thigh, leg, wing, and bottom; bone in.
- 3 largely chopped carrots
- 1 largely chopped yellow onion
- 4 largely chopped celery
- 1 cup matzo meal
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 cup Smart Balance Oil
- 2/3 cup frozen peas (keep separate in freezer until the very end)
- 2/3 cup uncooked semolina pasta (angel hair)
Stock Seasonings
2 Tablespoons bouillon or concentrated chicken stock
Onion Powder
Parsley
Dill
Black Pepper
Salt
Directions
Day One
Bring water to a boil; season water with a gentle dash of all
the seasonings and bouillon (easy on the salt for now) Add chicken, cover, and
boil for 5 minutes; then, reduce heat to a simmer (low boil) for 25 minutes
while stirring occasionally.
While the chicken is cooking wash and cut up
vegetables (not the peas). Refrigerate vegetables in a covered dish or food
storage bag until ready to cook. When the chicken is finished simmering, remove
the pot from heat, and remove chicken from the stock pot and place it in a
large bowl to cool.
In about 20 minutes, the chicken should be cool enough to
work with. Remove all the chicken meat from the bones, and use your hands to
pull it apart into smaller bite size pieces. Discard all skin and bones and double check for any bones. Place cooked chicken pieces into a
covered bowl or food storage bag; refrigerate the chicken until the stock is
ready.
Place covered stock pot (seasoned water) onto a towel, and refrigerate over night.
Soup day!
Directions
Prepare matzo ball recipe (seasoned with the same seasonings
as yesterday, but no bouillon (easy on the salt) just add pinches or a quick
shake of each.Whisk eggs; add oil, water and seasonings; mix again, then,
mix in matzo meal. Refrigerate 1 hour.
Next discard fat from stock pot.
Bring stock to a boil,
frequently stir and add pinches of the stock seasonings, one more time (very
easy on the salt), and if you wish for more flavor, you could add another
Tablespoon of bouillon or concentrated chicken stock. (When I use bouillon, I
try to use low sodium brands, I prefer to add my own salt.) Add vegetables (no peas yet!). While the
vegetables start to boil, make 1 Tablespoon of matzo balls at a time. If meal is too sticky, rinse
your hands in cold water and lightly pat dry as needed while making the balls or try refrigerating the meal a bit more, and wait to start the boil.. The balls should be soft, and totally difficult to form
smooth balls; that is okay because then they will be soft, moist and fluffy. If
the meal is too hard and the balls are firm, then you will get awful balls:)
Work fast and place each ball into the boiling vegetables.
Stir, cover, and
reduce heat to a simmer (low boil) for 30 minute while stirring frequently.
15 minutes before the vegetables and balls are cooked, add
frozen peas, cooked chicken, and uncooked angel hair pasta; give it a good stir and cover.
Remove the pot from heat and uncover, as soon
as cooking time is up.
If you have 6 people who eat 3 matzo balls each, then you
should have enough balls. If you desire more balls (People love matzo balls!)
then double the matzo ball recipe and cook the first batch in the stock without
anything else in it; remove them, and set aside while you cook the vegetables and
second batch of balls, with all the soup ingredients. Just put the first batch
of balls back into the finished soup...
And, you're ready for some goodness!
 |
| This is the same recipe but with added potatoes and garnished with extra dill.
And, for a lighter, tasty version, skip the matzo
balls (omit the additional water, oil, matzo meal and eggs).
Add a garnish of lime at serving time; regular spaghetti pasta was used here.
 Toasted bread with butter and lime on the side of this soup is so delicious! |