Its always been “matzo ball soup” to me, but a friend from Long Island insists that it is “chicken soup with matzo balls”. Like I’m the biggest rube ever.
What say you?
Also…I made soup recently and just used the Manischewitz matzo ball mix (Jules was sick). I felt kinda guilty. It just seems like it would be super easy to grind up matzo bread. Anybody?
Of course, the corollary to David’s post is that chicken soup is not always served with matzoh balls. Every now and then it gets the kreplach treatment or even egg noodles (though even better is a bit of everything).
Matzo Ball Soup. Since that’s the nomenclature I grew up with I’ll go out on a limb and claim it’s what they called it in Brooklyn (where both my parents grew up).
The plot thickens. Checking their on-line menus Carnegie Deli calls it Chicken Soup with Matzoh Balls but Second Avenue Deli calls it Matzoh Ball Soup.
It’s matzoh ball soup… only a rube who didn’t know better would need to explain that the soup is chicken soup… If you had a vegetarian (but not vegan) at the table you might have to make a special batch which would be matzoh balls in vegetable broth… Carnegie is in midtown… serving rubes from the midwest… and they name sandwiches after people… enough said
And I know many who don’t use the mix… but matzoh meal + other stuff instead… I have never heard of anyone grinding up the matzohs
Oy gevalt! Grind up “Matzoh Bread.” A shanda. With a name like Blum you should know better. Go to the store, buy a box of Matzoh Meal, get a dozen eggs, look on the back for directions on how to mix up the batter, and make sure to let it sit in the refrigerator after you mix it up for at least 30 minutes, preferrably an hour. Put oil on your hands, shape the batter (which should now be relatively hard) into balls, and toss into a pot of boiling salt water. NOT Soup. You cook the balls first, then you transfer to the soup. Otherwise, it will cloud up the soup. If you want extra chicken soup flavor in your matzoh balls use stock instead of water or Seltzer when you make the batter. Make sure to oil your hands before making the balls. Do not use a spoon to make the balls. They will grow in size as they cook, so keep the balls about 3/4 of an inch in diameter.
If anyone wants to disagree with me, you are wrong! I have made 200 matzoh balls at a time for my Temple Seder. If you want to get in an argument about hard versus soft, that’s another story. I’m in the “It’s not a matzoh ball if it won’t dent the wall” camp.
We made deep fried matzoh balls a few years ago just to see what would happen if we fried them after boiling them. I was looking for a crispy outside, but could not get it to work. You have to use olive oil because corn oil is not kosher for Passover.