Matzo Balls
Posted: 08/12/2012 Filed under: recipes, soup, side dish | Tags: cooking, Jewish cooking, matzo ball soup, matzo balls, Passover recipes, recipe, Rosh Hashanah recipes 10 Comments »
Matzo Balls
I have read countless cook books where the authors have waxed poetically about a recipe that had been passed down to them from their mother or grandmother, and how they still have that recipe in their grandmother’s handwriting on a tattered and stained 3 x 5 card. I would love nothing more than to say this matzo ball recipe was lovingly passed down to me by my old Russian grandmother, but that’s just not the case. No, I got this particular recipe from You Tube. Yes, You Tube, go figure.
For years I’ve been making matzo balls, but I was just not achieving that lightness and fluffiness which is the cornerstone to the ultimate matzo ball. There are hundreds of recipes out there, with each one claiming to be the best matzo ball you’ve ever tasted. So here I was lost and perplexed, so I turned to the one place where I knew I could find some help. You Tube. In the last couple of years I have found that whenever I was not sure of how to do something, or did not know the answer to some of life’s burning questions, the answer could always be found on a You Tube video.
I was not to be disappointed. This particular You Tube video yielded what I consider to be one of the lightest matzo balls I’ve ever had. The darn thing practically floats on air. I know it’s not brain surgery, but I think whipping the egg whites and the addition of the bubbly club soda were those elusive components that were missing from my previous attempts.
Matzo Balls
From About.com Food
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup club soda
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- pinch of black pepper
- 1 cup matzo meal
- 2 tablespoons minced parsley
Directions
- With your 4 eggs, separate the whites from the yolks, putting the yolks in a small bowl and the whites in the bowl of an electric mixer.
- Using the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until they are stiff. Add the yolks to this bowl and stir with a rubber spatula until they are incorporated.
- Add the club soda and the vegetable oil and stir until incorporated. Next, add the salt, pepper, matzo meal and parsley and stir with your spatula to incorporate.
- Your mixture will look loose and soupy, but cover and refrigerate the mixture for an hour, and miraculously the mixture will come together.
- Bring a large pot (like a stock pot) of salted water to a boil.
- Take your mixture out of the refrigerator, and place a bowl of vegetable oil next to it. Rub your hands in the oil to keep the mixture from sticking to your hands.
- Now comes the crucial part! Take about 2 tablespoons of the mixture, and without handling it very much, form it into a ball. Do not compact the mixture, use a very light hand. This will make for a light and fluffy matzo ball. Trust me!
- Place all the matzo balls into the boiling water. Cover the pot and keep the water at a low simmer for 30 minutes.
Makes 12-13 matzo balls
Recipe: Easy
Mama’s Tips
If you are not serving the matzo balls right away, place them in a container covered 1/4 of the way with either chicken broth or water.
French Onion Soup
Posted: 01/06/2012 Filed under: Appetizers, recipes, soup, Vegetables | Tags: appetizer, cooking, French onion soup, onion, recipes, side dish, soup 19 Comments »
French Onion Soup
My husband and I have this weird obsession with French onion soup. We order it in every restaurant we go to that has it on the menu. Although it’s a fairly simple soup, you would be surprised how differently, different restaurants prepare it. He and I took a vote, and we decided the best we’ve had so far is at a place called Cafe Cigale in Oak Park (the Agoura/Thousand Oaks area, if you’re a local).
During the winter I like to make this soup at home, it’s really a no-fail recipe. This rich and hearty soup is perfect for dinner parties, or just cold, blustery nights when you need your insides warmed-up. (It was in fact 80 degrees here today, but I made it anyway!) You might want to use a variety of onions such as yellow, red and sweet for a little more complex flavor. Either way, I just love the melt-y, crust-y, bubbly cheese on top when you first take it out of the oven. It’s so good!
French Onion Soup
Adapted From Williams Sonoma
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 2 1/2 lbs. yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 8 cups beef stock
- 1 bay leaf
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 French baguette
- 3 cups shredded Gruyère cheese
- In a large pot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and the sugar and cook, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes until the onions are tender and a deep golden brown.
- Sprinkle the flour over the onions until combined. Stir in the wine, then the stock and add the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and discard the bay leaf.
- Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. You can use eight, 1 1/2-cup broilerproof soup crocks, (or I used smaller ramekins because I was making more servings and wanted a smaller appetizer portion). Cut the baguette into 1/2″ slices and place on a baking sheet. Place under broiler (12″ from heat) turning once so that they’re toasted on both sides.
- Ladle hot soup into the crocks (or ramekins). Place ramekins on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place 2 slices of toasted bread on top of soup, overlapping if necessary. Don’t let the bread sink down into soup. Sprinkle about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the cheese on top. Place under broiler until the cheese is bubbling. Serve at once. This will make 8, 1 1/2 cup crocks or even more if you’re using smaller ramekins.
It’s Almost Springtime and You Know What That Means
Posted: 03/19/2011 Filed under: recipes, soup | Tags: asparagus, asparagus soup, homemade soup, soup, soup shooters, springtime vegetables 2 Comments »
Winter appears to be coming to an end here in Southern California. I like the wintertime because it breaks the monotony of all that darn sunshine we have the rest of the year. As I walked out into my yard today with my camera, and peeked around, I noticed plants and flowers starting to bud and bloom. We usually don’t have an abundance of rain, but this year there was more than usual and everything around me is so lush and green. Yes, spring is almost here and that means the season’s fresh fruits and vegetables are on their way. Soon I’ll be able to get a lot of my favorites grown locally such as artichokes, peas, radishes, cherries and strawberries. But, my all-time favorite spring vegetable is Asparagus!
I like asparagus “in” or “on” anything. I especially like to grill it on the barbecue. But even better than that is Asparagus Soup! To me, I enjoy nothing more than picking up some asparagus at the local farmer’s market and coming home to make this soup. This is my idea of springtime. It’s so fresh and full of flavor.
Mini soup tureens from Sur La Table
Asparagus Soup
From Gourmet Magazine 2001
Serves 4
2 pounds green asparagus
1 large onion, chopped
3 tablespoons, unsalted butter
5 to 6 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
Cut tips from 12 asparagus, 1 1/2 inches from top and halve tips lengthwise if thick. Reserve for garnish.
Cut stalks and all remaining asparagus into 1/2 inch pieces.
Cook onion in 2 tablespoons butter in a 4 quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring until softened. Add asparagus pieces and salt and pepper to taste, then cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add 5 cups broth and simmer, covered, until asparagus is very tender, 20 minutes.
While soup simmers, cooked reserved asparagus tips in boiling, salted water until just tender, 3-4 minutes, then drain.
Puree soup in batches in a blender until smooth, (use caution when blending hot liquids in blender, put towel over top of blender). Place a strainer or sieve over large bowl, and strain soup into the bowl. Return soup to heavy pot. Stir in heavy cream, then add more broth to thin soup to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Bring soup to a boil and whisk in remaining tablespoon of butter. Add lemon juice.
Garnish with asparagus tips.
Soup will keep, covered and chilled, 2 days.
These "Soup Shots" are great as a passed appetizer.
As a side note, I purchased these 2 ounce shot glasses at the 99 Cent Store, and I use them all the time. I ‘ve made little fruit and yogurt parfaits in them, or mini-layered desserts. I always find fun glass containers there that I can use when I’m entertaining a large group. I suggest you check it out.
