Matzo Balls!

[chef chicklet]

One of my all time favorite comfort soups is Matzo Ball Soup. I love the airy, light and delicious dumplings in broth.

I've searched and not having much luck. Are there any other recipes that use these?

Any recipes?
thanks!

[litehouse9]

I would love to know. Delis serve cups of Matzo Ball soup usually with ONE GIANT matzo ball... (like tennis ball size)... How do they do it? does anyone know how to make these extra large matzo balls? They always seem to be cooked all the way through, yet are light and fluffy.

[penthouse pup]

Refrigerate the mix overnight--matzoh balls always expand, if prepared correctly...the many tips in the thread should help, but to get that light quality with size, in my opinion, it's prior refrigeration that does it.

[Mother of four]

The reason that they are not light and fluffy, is they they are not cooked long enough. They have to be cooked long enough, so they are cooked all the way through. I use the recipe on the Matzo meal box, and they always come out light and wonderful. By the way, I am not the fan of tennis size Matzo Balls!!

[robertjsweet]

secret is seltzer....use as the liquid ingredient when mixing the matzo meal...always come out light and fluffy....

[anicon]

i recently saw an episode of Sara's Secrets on the TFN. She did a Hannukah special and made "Aunt Rifka's Flying Disks" - matzo balls formed in silver-dollar-sized disks and served in brisket gravy- as a side to her Braised Brisket. Never had matzhah balls in anything else besides soup, but these looked really good.

there is a recipe and picture on her website.

[bolletje]

One time I actually put matzoh balls in a thai-inspired coconut broth and it was really good. I also have made them with finely chopped, cooked mushrooms in them and have always wanted to make them with a bit of chicken liver in the middle.

[AmyH]

My mother, and I suppose my grandmother, too, would occasionally cook up the matzo balls and then add them to their baked tzimmes. The other items in the tzimmes were sweet potatoes, carrots, kishke, meat, prunes, with a sauce of orange juice with honey.

[chef chicklet]

Tzimmes, pardon my ignorance. But this sounds really good to me!

[AmyH]

It is truly ambrosia to me. Unfortunately, my mother and both of my grandmothers have passed away. I make a pretty good imitation of theirs, but without the meat since there are vegetarians in the family now. I use a parve kishke, too. The meat was flanken that was roasted separately first, tightly covered in foil. At least I don't think it was boiled. The sweet potatoes and carrots are boiled first. I've added to my version some jumbo golden raisins from Trader Joes, and some finely chopped dried pinapple. I also use a sprinkling of cinnamon (maybe they did, too) or some baking spice from Penzey's.

[Oh Robin]

Manischevitz Mix with melted chicken fat instead of oil. Heaven!

[CindyJ]

Use any of the boxed mixes, but add 1-2 tablespoons of chopped dill to the mix before refrigerating.

[Louise]

I've read about slicing them in half the day after then frying them in a little fat.

[Diane in Bexley]

I use the recipe for matzo balls on the matzo meal package and double it. The KEY to light/fluffy matzo balls is substituting the water for club soda or seltzer water!! Very important! The fizz acts as a leavener to the mixture. I add some dried dill to the mixture, gives it a unique taste. Also agree on simmering in hot, salted water in covered pot and not opening for 35-40 minutes. I drain matzo balls in colander, put on plastic lined cookie sheet, freeze and pop into resealable plastic bags. That way you can pop a couple balls into some chicken broth for a quick lunch.

[weinstein5]

There are some interesting suggestions abounding in this thread - another tried and true use of Matzah Balls/Kneiudlach is in Carrot Tzimmes -

Cook Carrots (traditional but have used sweet potatos ) in honey and water add dry fruit (classic is prunes ) and quartered kneidlach that were prepared seperately

[another_adam]

We always used to eat leftover matso balls (kneydlekh) sliced, at room temperature, with horseradish. (Pretty much a passover-only custom)
There is, however, a very similar dish made with a bread base in German cuisine (semmelknödel), which can be "julienned" (sliced into rounds and then into long narrow strips) and pan fried in oil. These can be served with cheese, a gravy-type sauce, or have beaten eggs poured over them and cooked to bind them into a scrambled egg type dish.

[pecan]

It's still chicken soup but I like the Chicken in a Pot approach. Matzo Balls, cut up chicken, some veggies, rice, noodles, kreplach (if you have some available).

There is no reason why you couldn't use them in a heartier soup as well. Just thinking of them floating in a rich red broth surrounded by chunks of veggies and tender meat is making my mouth water.

[chef chicklet]

oh now that sound good.....

[Richard 16]

What you're describing, orf course, are matzoh dumplings, not matzoh balls. To make matzoh *balls*, the easiest way to start is by doubling the amount of matzoh meal on packge directions.

(I have no idea where this "light and airy" stuff came from. If it's not Pesach,and you want dumplings, why not just make them? Gauntlet thrown...)

I like to add chopped fresh parsley as well as some dried to mine. Keeping the lid on, as previously mentioned, is key. Directly cover with plastic wrap and don't stint on letting it set in the refrigerator long enough to give the matzoh meal time to hydrate. This is true whether you want matzoh balls or matzoh dumplings.

[chef chicklet]

well mine have come out light and airy....ok fluffy.... well tender. I've added parsley and garlic and finely minced onion. I know I'm probably breaking a law here, but I was searching on the internet and didn't see any other dishes using them, so I thought I'd ask you knowledgeable peeps.
I could eat 15 of these things no problem. What I'm picturing is them lined up in a baking dish, covered with a great sauce.

[Sherri]

Think about it as "Jewish Gnocchi" and let your imagination go wild.

[Amanita]

So far, this sounds 100% kosher to me. Just don't make a clam sauce.

[chef chicklet]

Thanks, since Fall is approaching (thank goodness) I was thinking of adding them to a pot roast, at a point as not to ruin them. Or even my French Onion soup.

[smartie]

I love them and can eat them ad infinitum. The packet mixes are pretty good, I like mine like cannon balls!
Manishewitz makes broth with Matzoh balls or soup with matzoh balls. Found in jars in kosher sections of supermarkets.

They are not hard to make from scratch, in yiddish they are called kneidlach so google that for recipes, it's matzoh meal and almond flour and egg I think.

[bards4]

I've never heard of matzah balls being made from almond flour. Basically, what I use is matzah meal, egg, oil or schmaltz, salt and water. They are really easy to make, but be sure to start about 30 minutes before you think -- the batter needs to firm up in the fridge for a little while before forming and cooking the matzah balls.

I've never heard of any other recipes other than chicken soup that use them, but that doesn't mean you can't try something! Once the matzah balls are done for their first cooking (about 40 minutes), you could essentially put them in any kind of soup you wanted -- they are dumplings, after all! Let us know if you try them in something else and how they turn out!

[NYchowcook]

I'm not aware of matzoh balls being used for anything but . . . matzoh ball soup (chicken soup).
My nephew will eat them au naturel.

[bards4]

The trick to really fluffy matzah balls is to cook them for at least 40 minutes with the lid on. DO NOT PEEK! As soon as you do, they will turn into cannonballs. I actually cook them in salt water first so that they do not soak up all my hard-earned soup. Then I add them to the soup for about ten minutes before I serve. And the recipes on any of the boxes of matzah meal do work out quite well.

[lintygmom]

They do have more flavor if you cook them in soup, even if it's Safeway chicken broth. And if you use schmalz (rendered chicken fat) to mix them, even more flavor, if a little sacrifice in lightness.

[drewb123]

streits in a box is awesome!

[chazzerking]

one way to keep them light is to use seltzer instead of water. I also like to add some chopped parsley to the mix and cook in water to which I've added some chix boullion. It does make a difference if you keep them covered while cooking . My guess on the reason for this is the temp drop that occurs if you lift the lid.

[prunefeet]

I agree on all counts. I would never cook them in the broth because I always use homemade broth, and it is, indeed hard earned. Not that it's difficult to make, just time consuming. I think the matzoh balls are flavorful enough as they are...

I may be mistaken, but I thought the OP was asking if there were any other dishes using matzoh balls...and my answer to that is not that I know of...

[Richard 16]

Good point, prunefeet. (Now that's a screen name begging for an explanation! I like it!)

You are not restricted to chicken soup; I've made them with vegetable soup, with olive oil instread of chicken fat. Not bad with onion soup, too.

Something I've never done is add seafood to the matzoh balls. (Even though I eat shellfish it seems sacreligious (sp?) to add it to matzoh balls...) Some chopped shrimp or lobster sounds good though...

[chef chicklet]

Thanks for noticing, I was wondering if they are ever used in other entrees. I think they are just about one of my favorite things, so I'm thinking if you could add say spinach or whatever to the dumpling, bake them with a sauce... just curious.

[prunefeet]

Thanks Richard. Actually Prunefeet is from a Grimm's fairy tale, I have always liked it for some reason, lol. I have to say, the idea of shrimp or lobster in a matzoh ball is very intriguing...

[ozhead]

Intriguing, yes. Kosher, no.

[lintygmom]

Try them cooked in non-home broth, then. They'll be even tastier without sacrificing broth.

Sacrilege aside, the idea of them with bits of shrimp in and a seafood-pho broth sounds wonderful--kind of like floating quenelles. Fusion!

[prunefeet]

I'm really not a food snob but I can't eat matzoh balls in anything but really great broth. BUt that's just me.

Chef chicklet, you should experiment and get back to us!!

[lintygmom]

Put them in great broth but cook them in not-so-great if you're afraid of wasting great that's ALL I was suggesting.

[prunefeet]

OR, you could cook them in canned broth and then put them into your beautiful homemade broth...I think that is the solution! Enough already, I'll stop.

[Amanita]

Fusion made in centuries past. Matzoh ball in Yiddish and Polish = knaydeleh, pronounce the K. It eventually was Frenchified as... quenelle.
Scrolling down the page, I see a hilarious variety of spellings for kneidlach. Have no idea what is right.
I always cook matzoh balls in boullion cube broth before putting them in the soup. Can't imagine making them in August, though! Or with seafood! Why not bacon, while you're at it?
What I love: matzoh balls made with schmaltz and lotsa parsley.
There are lots of recipes for leftover matzoh balls. But they are best fried in schmaltz.

[Diane in Bexley]

Sorry Amanita, but I disagree with you on the quenelles comparison. If you look at recipes for gefilte fish and quenelles, I would agree these two are related but not matzo balls.

[lintygmom]

And I disagree on the seafood. Fusion food is often a big topic here. Matzoh balls are NOT a sacred item and lots of us are not kosher or even Jewish. They would be delicious with tiny bits of shrimp, though bacon would overwhelm their flavor.

[judybird]

My mom used to bake matzoh balls - and of course, hers were made from scratch. They were not fluffy, but more firm in texture. After boiling them in salt water until done, she'd drain them well, put them in one layer in a Pyrex dish, pour a tiny bit of schmaltz over all (you could use oil) then bake until slightly brown and serve as a side dish with a brisket or chicken. Fantastic! I haven't thought of this in years - will have to try it soon.

[avrum goldfein]

My mom would bake matzah balls too. I don't think they were boiled first though. We would place them in soup and press down so they would soak up the soup. Are you Lithuanian or Latvian in ancestry?
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[chazzerking]

I have a recipe from my great grandmother, that has dumplings made from matzoh meal like balls, but with well browned onions and gribenes in the center, served in a beef based carrot soup. I'll try to dig it up and post here later. it's a fair amout of work, but very delicious.

[weinstein5]

anything with Gribenes in the center should be delicious -

[Mother of four]

I agree, and maybe even longer then 40 minutes.. I remove one, cut it in half to see if it is done, then go on from there.

[weinstein5]

I have real easy recipe I got from my mother - use the mix mazischevitz, streits or croyden house does not matter - It works all the time coming out nice and fluffy - the other thing I also do is cook the matzo balls in the oup -