matzoh ball soup

My tatstes have gone bonkers since my health probs started. My appetite is spotty at best. then i get on kicks where Ill be hooked on one food till I burn out. I wass doing Manischewitz matzoh ball soup in the jars. Always good. For awhile my store ran out and didnt order anymore. To make up we tried buying Manischewitz matzoh balls in broth. nad adding the soup goodies myself. One problem. The first can I opened-no matzoh balls!!! And the broth tasted like water. Couldnt believe it and opened a 2nd-Same Deal!!!. I called kroger and the manager didnt believe me. I had bougt 4 cans(all they had) I brought them in and forced the manager to open one. Guess what? Water. he gave me a full refund and then I called Manischewitz. They were really nice(they really didnt believe me at first but after callin my Krogers one of the VPs called me back to appologize. They sent me over 40 bux in coupons for their whole product line. I still shake my head to this day. If they could miss the matozhs what elese might go wrong?
britt

It's foggy, raining and 52 degrees in the Hudson Valley. So, I just made a big pot of chicken soup and matzo balls. It's not hard, and anything in a can or jar is just NOT the same thing.
A chicken.
Onions.
Carrots.
Celery.
Turnips.
Parsnips.
Parsley & dill.
A couple, three cloves of whole garlic.
Water.
Salt & pepper.
In all the years of listening to people argue about making matzo balls (hard vs soft, water vs seltzer, etc) I never do anything but follow the directions on whatever box of matzo meal is in the pantry. Always works just fine.
I'm fighting a sinus infection that has laughed at antibiotics; all I have wanted is soup. This was the right prescription. (They don't call it "jewish penicillin" for nothing.)

hey Rongmtek....next time you make the soup....take a yam or sweet potato...cut in half and add that to your cooking liquid....adds a sweetness as it's all cooking...my grandmother taught me that...and you are right...nothing beats homemade jewish penicillin!!!

Thanks, Linda! That sounds like a very good tip, and I will certainly remember it.
Ron

Do you have a recipe you could PM me for them Matzoh balls?????

My wife makes fantasitic MB soup. The soup itself is relatively easy, being basically a chicken soup. She only uses Streits Matzoh Meal. She follows the recipe and directions on the box but swears you have to substitute Seltzer for the water. She also makes a pot of Super fine or extra fine noodles to go in the soup. The final bowl is a masterpiece of chicken soup, soft Matzoh balls(most of the time) and fine noodles. Sometimes we drain out the boiled chicken from the pot and add that to the soup for a thick Matzoh ball and chicken soup. I would be happy on a cold day with just the soup but I'll never stop her if she wants to make the Matzoh balls.

Mossman-
Sorry, just saw your request now for a recipe. Couldn't be easier:
Mix 1 cup matzo meal, 4 eggs, 1 teaspoon salt & 4 Tablespoons veg. oil in a bowl. Add a litle fresh ground pepper, if you like (I do.)
Add 4 Tablespoons soup or plain water & mix well.
Refrigerate for 40-60 minutes. During this time,
Boil a large pot of water.
With wet hands, roll matzo balls of about 1-inch diameter. Do it quickly, don't work them too much. I never care if they're not perfectly round. Drop 'em right into the boiling water.
Bring the pot back to a boil, cover & simmer the balls for 35-45 minutes. This will make 15 or 16 matzo balls.
Remove with a slotted spoon right into bowls of delicious chicken soup. I like to serve the soup with the shredded chicken, and the chunks of carrots, turnips & parsnips.
LindaW: I'm making soup tomorrow for 12 or 12 people. I will definitely add the sweet potato. Thanks.
Ron

40 bux in coupons?!?! So, where can I buy such rare matzoh balls in broth, nu?

Brittneal, take some of those coupons and definitely give Manischewitz Potato Kugel mix a try. Their kugel is *wonderful*, very light and very potato-y, the crack of the kugel world.
... try with a hot, spiced cherry compote (buy a can of tart pitted cherries in water, heat til very hot in pan with sugar, cinnamon and some cloves).

The other thing I do is buy Manischewitz Beet soup in the jar, then, run it thru the osterizer to puree, heat, and serve with a big dollop of sour cream. To die for. And the Kugel would go perfect with it as well.

IMO matzo ball soup is one of the great creations in any cuisine.  I believe it is unparalleled for simplicity and the satisfaction that is obtained.  I like it in restaurants and make it at home.  I am not Jewish.  I never had it growing up, but only after establishing my own household.   I am glad I saw this thread and have one comment and several questions.

I have noted that I am not Jewish.  Please let me say and emphasize that I do not mean to offend any observant person with my questions.

Recently I bought a couple of boxes of "low sodium" matzo ball mix and made the balls per instructions.  I didn't think much about it because we don't cook with much salt at our house.  It turned out that the matzo balls were very bland.  When I use the second box I will add salt. 

I wonder about the experience of others on the message board is, so far as this kind of low sodium product has been.

Once I tried making the balls out of soda crackers rather than a mix or by crushing matzo.  It also was very bland although I added salt.  Comment about using crackers in lieu of matzo if there is no religious factor to consider?

Also, I've heard of, but never tried, separating the eggs and beating yolks and whites separately before combining with the meal to make the finished product lighter.  I suppose that using seltzer water is along the same line.  Any comment on that?

Normally though, I don't add any liquid.  If I did it would be the some of the soup stock.   But it mixes nicely with just  the eggs and fat.  Does adding water make the balls lighter?

On the subject of eggs, isn't four eggs for a cup of meal a lot more eggs than specified on the box for the packaged mixes?  Comment?
 
Finally, I know the recipes I have seen for matzo balls generally call for the use of vegetable oil for the fat.  If I have boiled a chicken for the stock I like to use skimmed chicken fat in stead of vegetable oil.  Comment?

I've wondered about the addition of a very small amount of very finely minced parsley or green onion to the matzo ball mix, but have never read of doing so.  Comment?

I am in fact jewish and shhh don't tell anyone but the secret to good matzoh balls is to use the mix.....not the low sodium but regular striets or manishev.......doesn't matter.  follow direction to the t and they will be good everytime.  boil in salted water but let them sit in good chicken stock after.  I used to make extra for my mom and send them home with her in a plastic container.  they didn't always make them home....any questions just email me Amer5858@hotmail.com.

I disagree about using a mix (and I'm Jewish, too).  My secret for great matzoh balls is to follow the recipe on the matzoh meal box BUT, instead of vegetable oil, use the fat skimmed from the chicken soup you made the day before (and set in the fridge to let all the fat congeal on top for easy removal).

MMM SHMALTZ!

shmalz never a bad thing.    i agree mmmmmmmm