Not-Chicken Soup and Matzoh Balls

I have been known to make chicken soup. But this is a vegetarian blog and chicken soup would be ... inappropriate at best. So what do vegetarians do if they want a nice matzoh ball soup? One solution is to make Not-Chicken Soup, which is basically a very hearty, very tasty vegetable broth.

Making vegetable broth involves, well, vegetables and lots of water:

This batch of soup has celery, carrots, parsnips, mushrooms, onions, and a sweet potato. We've used various other vegetables at times -- rutabaga instead of parsnips, for example. As you can see, it isn't important to peel any of the vegetables. Though you probably should scrub any root vegetables before putting them in the pot.

Oh, and the most important vegetable of all for this particular soup:

Lots and lots of garlic. It is hard to put too much garlic into this soup.

You add some salt and turmeric powder to the broth and cook for a couple of hours. The turmeric gives the broth a nice golden color as well as adding a nice flavor. You add salt because -- have you ever read King Lear?

Now that you've chopped all those vegetables and cooked them, it's time to get rid of them. This soup is a clear broth, so all the vegetables are strained out and discarded. That's why it really isn't important to peel them before cooking.

I usually strain over a second pot so that any broth clinging to the vegetables gets rescued for later eating.

Even after removing the vegetables, which are biggish, there is usually a fair amount of other stuff in the broth. To make it really, really clear, I strain the broth several times to get rid of the sludge. Cheesecloth works for this, and I used to have some. But the turmeric in the broth turns the cheesecloth a bright yellowy-orangey color. So I just use paper towels:

After I have removed as much of this sludge-y stuff as I feel up to and the broth is as clear as I want it, it's done!

It is possible, of course, to use this soup as is -- either as soup or as an addition to other recipes. However, we like to add matzoh balls to our soup. Rice or noodles would also work well. But we are traditionalists, and tend to stick to matzoh balls.

There are two main schools of thought on matzoh balls -- floaters or sinkers. Some people like light, fluffy matzoh balls; others prefer hard chewy matzoh balls. I have made both for my family over the years, but we all prefer the light, fluffy floaters.

The first thing you need to do is separate some eggs. This is somewhat flexible, but 6 to 8 eggs is a good quantity. Common wisdom is to separate the eggs while cold and then let them warm up to room temperature before beating them. For this recipe, the whites and yolks are beat separately.

Because I am basically lazy, I always beat the egg whites first. If you beat the egg yolks first, you have to wash the beater before beating the egg whites. Even a bit of yolk can keep the whites from beating up nicely, but a little egg white in the yolks doesn't make a difference.

Once the egg whites are nice and stiff, beat the egg yolks with a little club soda and some salt and pepper. Then the beaten yolks are folded into the beaten whites.

Now that the separated eggs have been beaten and recombined, gradually add matzoh meal (not matzoh cake meal) to the eggs. Fold in with a fork, about 1/2 cup at a time. I generally sprinkle a little on at a time rather than dumping the entire half-cup of matzoh meal in.

My original recipe (which I got from a friend who got it from her mother) said that at least 2 cups of matzoh meal would be needed to get to a "medium consistency". I have found that the amount of matzoh meal varies, though 2 cups is a good ball park measure. As for a medium consistency, who knows? Here's what my matzoh ball batter generally looks like when I decide there's enough matzoh meal added:

The batter needs to be refrigerated for 30 to 40 minutes before being cooked. My friend's mother's recipe said to cover the bowl with foil, so I always do. But I see no reason why any other type of cover on the bowl wouldn't work just as well.

After the sitting time, bring a large pot of water to a boil. I don't add salt to the water, though my friend's mother did. Form the batter into smallish balls -- gently! If you mash them up too much, the balls will be leaden rather than fluffy. I know this because one year I let someone else, someone who assured me that she was a champion matzoh ball maker, form the balls. Same recipe, matzoh balls that were hard as rocks.

Drop them into the  boiling water as you go.

Cover the pot and boil for about 30 to 40 minutes. And that's about it.

See how they fluff up while cooking?

I usually leave the cooked matzoh balls in the water used for boiling until adding them to soup. And I store leftover matzoh balls separately from any soup they may be put into. Some people freeze cooked matzoh balls, but I have never tried that. My understanding is that you drain the matzoh balls, place them individually on a baking sheet and freeze. Once they are solidly frozen, you can move them into a storage container or bag.

One of my favorite combinations -- not-chicken soup and matzoh balls:

Not-Chicken Soup (Vegetable Broth)

Because I use this broth not only for soup, but also almost anytime that a recipe calls for vegetable broth, I tend to make it in enormous quantities and then freeze it in smaller portions. When I took the pictures above, I was quadrupling the recipe. Here, I'm just going to list the ingredients to make about 2 quarts of broth.

2 quarts water
1 parsnip or other mild root vegetable (e.g., rutabaga) in chunks
2 large carrots, cut in chunks (add the greens from the top if you wish)
2 medium to large onions, cut in quarters (no need to peel)
10 to 12 cloves of garlic, cut in half
2 stalks celery, chopped (leave on leafy parts)
6-8 ounces of mushrooms
other vegetables as desired, cut in chunks (root vegetables work best, in my experience)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
freshly grated paper to taste

Combine everything in a large pot. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cover the top loosely.

Simmer for about 2 hours. A little longer or shorter won't matter much.

Remove and discard the vegetables, then strain the soup to the desired clarity. This step is usually easier if the soup has cooled to room temperature, but I've done it with hot broth. If you choose to strain hot broth, be very careful about splashes.

Serve hot as soup or store for use as broth.

Linda's Mom's Matzoh Balls


6-8 eggs, separated

Beat egg whites until stiff.

Add to yolks:
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
1/2 cup club soda

Beat yolks on high speed.

Fold yolks into whites with a fork.

Fold matzoh meal in with a fork, 1/2 cup at a time, until mixture is of medium consistency.
You will need at least 2 cups matzoh meal.

Cover the bowl with foil and refrigerate at least 30-40 minutes.

Boil water in a large pot. Form balls of mixture with hands; drop into the boiling water.

Cook matzoh balls in a covered pot over low heat for 30-40 minutes. Add to soup when serving.