The change in temperature; going from cold to hot to cold again has wreaked havoc on my family and their health. Me included. Last week, there were two mornings that I dropped the kids off at school, came home, and got right back into bed. Slept for hours, with a puppy on my belly. Regardless of feeling totally crappy, there truly is nothing better than getting back under the covers (at 9:00 a.m.) with a cozy, little Lola close by.
Thank goodness for my freezer. Meal planning, prepping, and stocking the freezer pays off. In my opinion, it’s a wonderful feeling, opening the freezer door and seeing laborious hours spent in the kitchen, put to good use.
Before crawling back into bed, I went to my extra freezer and took out three quarts of chicken stock. I also grabbed 2 organic chicken breasts and set both on a rimmed baking sheet to thaw. After several hours of napping, I had just enough energy to roast the chicken, cut the veggies, and prep the matzoh balls.
For my family, matzo ball soup is one of our favorite comfort meals. It’s a one pot meal that covers all the food groups; protein, grains, vegetables, and fat. Plus, this meal leaves plenty of room for dessert.
Homemade Matzoh Ball Soup
Yield: serves 6
Ingredients:
for the matzoh balls:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 (1/2 cup) gluten free matzohs, ground fine
2 tablespoons seltzer water
1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1 tablespoon fresh, chopped parsley (plus more for garnish)
for the chicken:
2 large organic, chicken breasts, bone in and skin on
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
preparing the soup:
2 – 3 quarts homemade chicken stock
2 large carrots, cleaned, peeled, and cut into small cubes
1/2 leek, white part only, chopped fine
1 stalk celery, chopped into small cubes
1 cup cooked, gluten free noodles
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
for the chicken:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Wash and pat dry your chicken. place on a small, rimmed baking sheet. with your hands, rub olive oil over top of the breasts. sprinkle generously with Celtic sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the juices run clear (run a knife into the side of the breast, if the liquid appears pink, it’s not done). let rest at room temp.
When cool enough to handle, remove skin and bones, discard (or save for another batch of stock). shred the chicken meat with a fork. set aside.
for the matzoh balls:
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. add the vegetable oil, seltzer water, salt, and parsley. Mix well.
Break up the matzohs and place in the work bowl of a mini chopper. Pulse until it resembles very fine bread crumbs.
Add the ground, gluten free matzoh crumbs to the wet mixture. mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
While the mixture rests, bring your stock to a boil.
To form matzoh balls, using wet hands, roll dough into 1″ balls and drop in boiling stock. reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30-40 minutes. 15 minutes before matzoh balls finish cooking, add chopped vegetables to the pot. cover and continue to cook. In a soup bowl, add a few tablespoons of cooked noodles and the shredded chicken. ladle the soup, vegetables, and the matzoh balls into the prepared bowls.
Sprinkle with a bit of chopped parsley and enjoy!
Susan Salzman writes The Urban Baker blog to explore her dedication to good food in the hope of adding beauty to the lives of her family and friends.