Chicken Soup with Matzoh Balls

These are the lightest matzoh balls ever. Mark Bittman's recipes are always the best. 

3 eggs
6 to 9 cups good chicken stock
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup canola or extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup matzoh meal, approximately
4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish

1. Beat together the eggs and 1/2 cup of the stock. (If you would prefer lighter matzoh balls, separate the eggs and beat the yolks with the stock. Beat the whites until almost stiff and fold them in after adding the matzoh meal.)

2. Stir in the onion, fat, salt, and pepper. Add the matzoh meal; the dough should be quite moist, barely stiff enough to make into balls. If it is too moist, add a little more meal.

3. Cover the mixture and refrigerate for an hour or overnight. When you're ready to cook, place a large pot of salted water to boil. (You can also cook the matzoh balls directly in your stock, but use the larger quantity of stock; the balls absorb a lot of liquid.) Using wet hands, shape the mixture into small balls, about 1 inch in diameter. Meanwhile, cook the carrots in the 5 1/2 cups stock.

4. Bring the boiling water to a simmer and cook the balls until expanded and set, about 30 minutes. Place them in soup bowls and ladle the stock and carrots over them, then garnish with lots of parsley.

 

Editor's note: The recipe below is adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman.