Growing up Catholic in the South, I didn’t eat a whole lot of matzo ball soup.
The first time I remember eating it was at a popular bagel deli here in Atlanta. I happen to think that this particular deli is kind of gross – I used to go there every few weeks for lunch with my coworkers, but the last time I ate there, I ordered a turkey burger and the waitress asked me how I wanted my burger done. I thought that she had misheard me so I repeated, “No, I want a turkey burger.”
“I know,” she replied, “how would you like that done?”
“All the way, please!” And I haven’t eaten there since. I thought maybe I just had a dim waitress who didn’t get that ground turkey (and poultry in general) is at its best when it’s fully cooked, but then a friend of mine had the exact same turkey burger ordering experience. Plus, the place is always packed to the gills, and while am I not keen on getting salmonella, I certainly have no intention of waiting in a twenty-minute line for that privilege. And that deli is the only place I’ve ever eaten matzo ball soup, until tonight in my kitchen.
I mentioned earlier that I checked James Peterson’s Splendid Soups out of the library last week. I am a fan of James Peterson’s work, and while the only book of his we own is Fish & Shellfish, everything we’ve made from that book has been outstanding. (I’ve also always been impressed that two of my favorite cookbook authors, Deborah Madison and Sally Schneider, both reference his work in their own books.) I was flipping through Splendid Soups and found his recipe for matzo ball soup, which completely fit the bill for Food I Am In The Mood For Eating When It Is Cold And Nasty Outside. Also, his recipe for matzo balls calls for one cup of duck fat, something I just so happened to have in my fridge leftover from our New Year’s Eve roast duck. As I am not one to let a perfectly good cup of duck fat go to waste, I decided that this week would be Matzo Ball Soup Week.
The only reservations I had about the Peterson recipe were his instructions for chicken broth. He calls for a “double chicken broth” that requires several quarts of basic chicken broth plus another broth made from roasting five pounds of chicken parts and vegetables and using that as a base for the second broth and you make it one day and let it sit overnight and… he kind of lost me, there, because all I could think about were the gallon-sized zipper bags of homemade roast chicken broth sitting in the deep-freeze in my garage. So, I used the broth I already had, and let me tell you, this recipe for matzo balls is so good, you could serve them in lukewarm tap water and still have an outstanding meal.
Something else I didn’t realize about matzo balls is how rich they are. Matzo balls are a feast food, so it makes sense that they would be, but I’d just never thought that hard about matzo balls before tonight. After I boiled that cup of gorgeous duck fat with two cups of water and added salt, pepper, nutmeg, and two cups of matzo meal, I added seven eggs to the batter. Peterson’s instructions then detail how to use two soup spoons to shape the batter into balls and slip them into a pot of simmering salted water, but I am lazy, so instead I used my ¼ cup ice cream scoop to shape the balls and that method worked just fine. I simmered the matzo balls until they bobbed to the top of the water, about 25 minutes, used a slotted spoon to transfer them to an oiled plate, and served them with a few ladlefuls of my own (single) chicken broth.
Again, these are rich matzo balls. I ate two of them and was full. I was looking for a warm, filling meal for a nasty winter night and this soup was exactly what I had in mind.
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Speaking of James Peterson and Fish & Shellfish, that book has a great recipe for crème fraîche/mustard sauce that is perfect for those times when you have a nice filet of fish and some leftover crème fraîche but are otherwise uninspired. Stir together one tablespoon mustard (whole grain, Dijon, even Zatarain’s would probably be fine) and two tablespoons crème fraîche, spread it on a lightly salted fish fillet, and broil until the fish flakes with a fork and the sauce is browned in spots.
I’ve used this preparation on both striped bass and flounder, and Peterson indicates that it works well with any firm white fish. Last week I used flounder and served the fish with orzo tossed with grape tomatoes that I’d roasted with sliced shallots, olive oil, salt and pepper until the tomatoes started to turn brown – it was a tasty, satisfying weeknight supper that couldn’t have been easier.
The first time I remember eating it was at a popular bagel deli here in Atlanta. I happen to think that this particular deli is kind of gross – I used to go there every few weeks for lunch with my coworkers, but the last time I ate there, I ordered a turkey burger and the waitress asked me how I wanted my burger done. I thought that she had misheard me so I repeated, “No, I want a turkey burger.”
“I know,” she replied, “how would you like that done?”
“All the way, please!” And I haven’t eaten there since. I thought maybe I just had a dim waitress who didn’t get that ground turkey (and poultry in general) is at its best when it’s fully cooked, but then a friend of mine had the exact same turkey burger ordering experience. Plus, the place is always packed to the gills, and while am I not keen on getting salmonella, I certainly have no intention of waiting in a twenty-minute line for that privilege. And that deli is the only place I’ve ever eaten matzo ball soup, until tonight in my kitchen.
I mentioned earlier that I checked James Peterson’s Splendid Soups out of the library last week. I am a fan of James Peterson’s work, and while the only book of his we own is Fish & Shellfish, everything we’ve made from that book has been outstanding. (I’ve also always been impressed that two of my favorite cookbook authors, Deborah Madison and Sally Schneider, both reference his work in their own books.) I was flipping through Splendid Soups and found his recipe for matzo ball soup, which completely fit the bill for Food I Am In The Mood For Eating When It Is Cold And Nasty Outside. Also, his recipe for matzo balls calls for one cup of duck fat, something I just so happened to have in my fridge leftover from our New Year’s Eve roast duck. As I am not one to let a perfectly good cup of duck fat go to waste, I decided that this week would be Matzo Ball Soup Week.
The only reservations I had about the Peterson recipe were his instructions for chicken broth. He calls for a “double chicken broth” that requires several quarts of basic chicken broth plus another broth made from roasting five pounds of chicken parts and vegetables and using that as a base for the second broth and you make it one day and let it sit overnight and… he kind of lost me, there, because all I could think about were the gallon-sized zipper bags of homemade roast chicken broth sitting in the deep-freeze in my garage. So, I used the broth I already had, and let me tell you, this recipe for matzo balls is so good, you could serve them in lukewarm tap water and still have an outstanding meal.
Something else I didn’t realize about matzo balls is how rich they are. Matzo balls are a feast food, so it makes sense that they would be, but I’d just never thought that hard about matzo balls before tonight. After I boiled that cup of gorgeous duck fat with two cups of water and added salt, pepper, nutmeg, and two cups of matzo meal, I added seven eggs to the batter. Peterson’s instructions then detail how to use two soup spoons to shape the batter into balls and slip them into a pot of simmering salted water, but I am lazy, so instead I used my ¼ cup ice cream scoop to shape the balls and that method worked just fine. I simmered the matzo balls until they bobbed to the top of the water, about 25 minutes, used a slotted spoon to transfer them to an oiled plate, and served them with a few ladlefuls of my own (single) chicken broth.
Again, these are rich matzo balls. I ate two of them and was full. I was looking for a warm, filling meal for a nasty winter night and this soup was exactly what I had in mind.
---
Speaking of James Peterson and Fish & Shellfish, that book has a great recipe for crème fraîche/mustard sauce that is perfect for those times when you have a nice filet of fish and some leftover crème fraîche but are otherwise uninspired. Stir together one tablespoon mustard (whole grain, Dijon, even Zatarain’s would probably be fine) and two tablespoons crème fraîche, spread it on a lightly salted fish fillet, and broil until the fish flakes with a fork and the sauce is browned in spots.
I’ve used this preparation on both striped bass and flounder, and Peterson indicates that it works well with any firm white fish. Last week I used flounder and served the fish with orzo tossed with grape tomatoes that I’d roasted with sliced shallots, olive oil, salt and pepper until the tomatoes started to turn brown – it was a tasty, satisfying weeknight supper that couldn’t have been easier.
Those matzo balls look GORGEOUS! I am far too lazy to try matzo ball soup ever again after my one attempt- it is simply much easier to go on up to Canter's- but if I ever move somewhere without delis on every corner, duck fat it is.
Posted by: hannah | January 25, 2007 at 01:30 PM
i happen to agree with you about the "ick" factor at Goldberg's. it's the only place i've ever eaten matzo ball soup, and i do crave it. now i'm inspired to attempt it in my own kitchen!
Posted by: paige | January 29, 2007 at 10:03 AM
That mustard-creme fraiche sauce is my new favorite! I had it over halibut the other night and last night used it to make mashed potatoes. I've been hugely craving mustard lately, and I kind of want to just slather this sauce on bread and call it a meal!
Posted by: (the other) molly | January 29, 2007 at 07:17 PM