Floater Matzo Balls Recipes

BEST MATZAH BALLS

Steps:

• Whisk eggs and olive oil in a bowl until combined; stir both amounts of club soda and salt into egg mixture. Mix matzo meal into wet ingredients to form a workable dough; if mixture is too wet, stir in 1/4 cup more matzo meal. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Wet your hands and form matzo ball dough into walnut-size balls. Gently place matzo balls into boiling water. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer matzo balls until tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

FLOATER MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• In a medium mixing bowl, use a fork to stir together the matzo meal, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and white pepper.
• In another small mixing bowl, use another fork to mix together the eggs and schmaltz (or oil), stirring briskly to make sure they are well blended.
• Pour egg mixture into the dry ingredients, and add the minced dill or parsley. Mix all ingredients together with a fork until just combined. Do not over-mix.Put the bowl of matzo ball mixture into the refrigerator and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• Bring your 5 quarts of chicken stock (or saffron water stock outlined in Notes section) to a boil over medium heat.While your broth or water is warming, form the chilled matzo ball mixture into 1-inch balls (roughly walnut-sized). Don't overwork the mixture when you roll the balls.
• When your broth or water boils, reduce heat to a simmer and drop the matzo balls gently into the liquid.
• Cover the pot with a lid and let the balls cook for 30-50 minutes until fluffy and soft. Keep the pot covered-- no peeking until at least 30 minutes have gone by! If you've followed instructions carefully, the balls should be floating on the surface of the water like billowy clouds of deliciousness. If they still seem dense or tight, they haven't cooked long enough. The should look soft and airy.
• Test for doneness by slicing a test matzo ball in half. It should look the same all the way through the center - tender, with no dark spot in the middle. If the middle is darker than the edges, it will need to simmer a little longer - it's not quite cooked yet. Don't be afraid to cook longer if it seems dense in the center, as it really won't be light and fluffy unless it is fully saturated with broth and cooked all the way to the center.
• If you're not using baking powder, you may wan to use avocado or safflower oil instead of schmaltz. I've noticed these oils tend to render a fluffier result, though they are not as flavorful as schmaltz. Separate the egg whites from the yolks, putting the whites in one of the medium mixing bowls and the yolks in the small mixing bowl. Use a fork to stir together the egg yolks and oil, stirring briskly to make sure they are well blended. Gently stir in 1/4 cup of seltzer.
• In the second medium mixing bowl, use a fork to mix together the matzo meal, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and white pepper.
• Pour egg yolk mixture into the dry ingredients, and add the minced dill or parsley. Mix with a fork until just combined. Do not over-mix.
• Whip the egg whites with an electric mixer to stiff peaks.
• Fold the whipped egg whites into the batter. Do not over-mix; you want the egg whites well integrated, but over-mixing will deflate them.Put the bowl of matzo ball mixture into the refrigerator and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• Bring your 5 quarts of chicken stock (or saffron water stock outlined in Notes section) to a boil over medium heat.While your broth or water is warming, form the chilled matzo ball mixture into 1-inch balls (roughly walnut-sized). Don't overwork the mixture when you roll the balls.
• When your broth or water boils, reduce heat to a simmer and drop the matzo balls gently into the liquid.
• Cover the pot with a lid and let the balls cook for 30-50 minutes until fluffy and soft. Keep the pot covered-- no peeking until at least 30 minutes have gone by! If you've followed instructions carefully, the balls should be floating on the surface of the water like billowy clouds of deliciousness. If they seem dense, they need to cook longer.
• Test for doneness by slicing a test matzo ball in half. It should look the same all the way through the center - tender, with no dark spot in the middle. If the middle is darker than the edges, it will need to simmer a little longer - it's not quite cooked yet. If you formed your balls any larger than the recommended size, you may need 10-15 minutes (or longer) than the suggested cooking time. Go by texture and doneness. It won't be light and fluffy unless it is fully saturated with broth and cooked all the way to the center.
• Serve two or three matzo balls per bowl with hot chicken soup ladled over them. If you don't plan on serving the whole pot of soup at one sitting, make sure you remove the matzo balls from the broth and let them come to room temperature before storing them in a separate sealed container kin the refrigerator. If left to sit in the broth, they'll become mushy.
• Once your matzo balls are fully cooked, line a baking sheet with wax paper or plastic wrap. Use a slotted spoon to remove the matzo balls from their cooking liquid and place them gently on the lined sheet. Let cool to room temperature.
• Place the matzo balls in the freezer and let them freeze until they are firm to the touch, around 2 hours or so. Once they are firm, you can place the matzo balls into a freezer bag (I use reusable silicone freezer bags).
• Label them with a label maker, if you want, so it will be easier to remember what you have on hand in future. They can be thawed and reheated directly in hot soup (or a pot of soup stock) just before serving.
• Additional Notes: You can cook matzo balls directly in your soup broth (which will give them excellent flavor), but it will soak up a lot of the yummy stock, leaving you with very little broth for serving.

MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• Whisk together the egg yolks, chicken stock, chicken fat, parsley, and salt. Stir in the matzo meal. In the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are stiff. Whisk them into the matzo mixture until it is smooth. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, or until the mixture is thick.
• Form balls the size of golf balls by shaping them with 2 spoons, rolling them with your hands, or scooping them with a small ice cream scoop. Drop them into simmering chicken stock and cook for 30 minutes, or until fully cooked and puffed, turning once. Remove and serve hot in chicken soup.

FRENCH ONION MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and let sit, undisturbed, until they start to soften, about 20 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes, until the onions are browned and caramelized, about 1 hour more. Increase the heat to medium; add the sherry and cook, stirring, until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Remove to a plate, spread out the onions and let cool in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
• Transfer 1 cup of the cooled onions to a food processor and process until smooth. (Reserve any remaining onions for another use.) Scrape into a large bowl; add the eggs, seltzer, schmaltz, 1 teaspoon salt and use a fork to stir until combined. Add the matzo meal and continue to stir with the fork until completely incorporated and the mixture resembles a thick paste. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Meanwhile, wet your hands and divide the matzo ball mixture into 12 equal mounds and flatten each into a disk. Add 1 of the cheese cubes to the center of each and roll into a ball, completely enclosing the cheese.
• Add the matzo balls to the boiling water, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until almost double in size, light and fluffy, flipping halfway through, about 30 minutes total. Remove with a slotted spoon and add them to your favorite chicken soup.

KOSHER PERFECT MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• Follow these instructions carefully.
• Measure and mix dry ingredients into a bowl.
• Individually break the eggs into a clear glass, discarding any with blood spots, and then pour into a second bowl.
• Add oil or schmaltz (and water or broth for firm matzo balls) to the eggs and stir gently with a fork until the yolks are broken and the oil just mixed.
• Pour egg mixture into the dry mixture and gently mix with the fork.
• DO NOT OVER MIX.
• Treat it like a muffin mixture; if you over mix they will be tough.
• Place in the fridge for 1 hour.
• Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil on the stove.
• After matzo ball mix has set, gently remove teaspoon fulls of the batter and roll into 1-2" balls and drop into the water.
• When all the balls are in the water leave it to boil until all the balls float to the top, then lower the temperature to a rolling simmer for 40 minutes and your matzo balls will be ready.
• DO NOT STIR AT ANY TIME.
• The matzo balls may be removed from the water with a slotted spoon and served in soup, with a stew, as a side dish with gravy or placed on a cookie sheet and frozen covered for a later use.

MARVELOUS MATZOH BALLS

Steps:

• Place diced parsnip and carrot in a single layer in a microwave-safe bowl and add a small amount of water. Cover with a paper towel and microwave on high power until tender enough to mash, 5 to 10 minutes. Mash.
• Mix shortening with eggs, matzoh meal, 1/2 cup water, salt, and pepper and mashed carrot and parsnip. Add parsley. Mix together.
• Refrigerate covered for 20 minutes.
• Scoop out balls of mixture to desired size and drop into boiling water. Cook in water until light and fluffy looking, about 5 minutes. Matzoh balls are now ready to add to your favorite soup!

FLUFFY MATZAH BALLS

Steps:

• 1. Mix the eggs well with a fork. Add the chicken fat or oil, soda water or chicken broth, matzah meal, and salt and pepper and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for several hours.
• 2. Dip your hands in cold water and make about 12 balls slightly smaller than Ping-Pong balls.
• 3. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add salt and place the matzah balls in the water. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes until soft.
• Tip: I often make chicken soup and matzah balls ahead. After cooking the matzah balls I just place them in the warm soup, which I then freeze. The liquid keeps them fluffy. I defrost the soup, reheat, and serve. If you like them more al dente, use large eggs and cook a shorter time.