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.

The plan from here on out

I've been doing a lot of thinking about how to best organize this blog along with all the other things I am working on right now. And I have a plan, which works only as long as I do. Here it is:

I am going to update this blog once a week unless something exciting comes along. The updates will usually post late Saturday night/early Sunday morning. In general, I plan to post recipes in the following pattern:

1st weekend of the month -- Soup

2nd weekend of the month -- Entree

3rd weekend of the month -- Cookies and other sweet stuff

4th weekend of the month -- Other stuff, including Tools of the Trade

5th weekend of the month, when we are so blessed -- Dealer's Choice

Since today is Friday and tomorrow is not only Saturday but the first day of the merry month of May, look for a soup recipe tomorrow night. Or early Sunday morning.

Green Chile Enchilada Casserole

This casserole is one of the easiest things in the universe to put together and make. It travels well and is delicious at a variety of temperatures from piping hot to lukewarm, which makes it an excellent dish to take to a potluck dinner. I have only rarely run across a person who didn't love this dish.

Here's what you need:

That's it -- a big pile of cheese, 12 to 16 corn tortillas, some cream of mushroom soup, an onion, and some green chiles. Dump it all in a pan and you're good to go!

Okay, maybe not that simple. You do need to open those cans of mushroom soup and add the chopped onion and green chiles to make a sauce:

I use Cream of Mushroom soup, but almost any "cream of" soup can be used instead. Or you can make a white sauce if you don't like to use processed soups.

Green chiles are easy to find in cans. Ortega and Old El Paso both sell 4-oz cans of chopped green chiles that are just about the right amount for this recipe. The canned green chiles come in both hot and mild versions, so that you can tailor the spiciness to the group that is going to eat the enchiladas. For this particular casserole, I used really hot frozen green chiles that are not universally available.

I generally heat up the sauce a little to make it smoother and more spreadable. Once the sauce is ready and the cheese is grated, putting the casserole together takes minutes:

 The only other preparatory step I should mention is ripping up the tortillas. I generally rip them by hand into quarters:

I mention this step only because I once asked my then-fairly-new husband to make this dish and he didn't understand that he was supposed to rip up the tortillas before putting them into the casserole. What ensued still tasted wonderful, but looked a little odd.

Start assembling the casserole by putting a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan. I usually spray the baking pan with Pam cooking spray before adding the sauce. This particular casserole is in a foil pan because I was taking it to someone else's house for a communal meal, but I usually make it in a glass 9x13 pan.

Top the layer of sauce with a layer of ripped-up tortillas.

Then put another layer of sauce on top of the tortillas.

Next, go wild with the cheese! I use Monterey Jack cheese and some Colby Longhorn cheddar.

The rest is simple -- repeat the tortilla, sauce, and cheese layers two more times for a total of three layers of tortillas, sauce, and cheese. The final layer of sauce looks something like this:

And cheese on top before putting it in the oven:

That is really all there is to this casserole. Pop it in the oven at about 375 for about an hour.

And then take it out. The cheese should be nicely browned.

I should mention that this casserole is very versatile in its baking times. You can cook it at a lower temperature with other foods. As long as the cheese is all melted and browned, you're good.

My mother used to make this casserole all the time, not only for family meals but also for potlucks and other communal meals. Not being vegetarian (and not keeping kosher), she would often add shredded chicken to her sauce. I've never tried making it with any of the chicken analog products that are on the market, but it would probably still be tasty.

Green Chile Enchilada Casserole

2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 can evaporated skim milk*
1 large onion, chopped
1 small can chopped green chiles
12-16 ounces monterey jack cheese, grated
6-8 ounces mild cheddar cheese, grated
12-16 corn tortillas, torn into quarters

Combine the soup, milk*, chopped onions, and green chiles. Stir until fairly smooth - some small lumps are no problem.

*Note: I almost never add the milk to the sauce because I find that it makes the casserole too soupy.  Sometimes if it looks like I won't have enough sauce for the final layer, I will stretch the sauce a bit by adding small amounts of canned milk. At least one of my sisters always adds the canned milk because she likes the soupier casserole. So experiment -- find what works for you.

In a 9x13 pan, spread a thin layer of the soup mixture over the bottom to coat. Use about 1/3 of the tortillas to cover the bottom, add a layer of the soup mixture, then a layer of cheese.

Add two more layers of tortillas, then soup, then cheese.

Bake at 350 to 375 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until casserole is bubbly and cheese is nicely browned.
 
These cooking instructions are almost infinitely variable. You can bake it longer at a lower temperature, or for a shorter time at a higher temperature. You can cook it for 30 minutes or so, then continue cooking it later.

Hamantaschen, a week late

Hamantaschen are a traditional food for the holiday of Purim, which was this past weekend. I spent a lovely afternoon last week making hamantaschen with some friends and their children and I took lots of pictures so that I could post them here, along with instructions.

And then I got busy with other Purim-related things and never got around to updating this blog. Well, better late than never. Today -- not only delicious hamantaschen cookies, but also a traditional mohn (poppyseed) filling for them.

The primary ingredients of the mohn filling I make are poppy seeds, raisins, and walnuts.

Take 2 cups of poppy seeds and soak them in boiling water until the water cools, then drain off the water. I always wondered about the purpose of this step until this year, when I measured my two cups of poppy seeds after they had soaked.

Lo and behold! There are now four cups of poppy seeds!

After that, put the poppy seeds in a pan (I have found that a shallow pan such as a frying pan is best) with one cup of boiling water and cook off the water.

After a while, the poppy seeds will be mostly dry and the water will have evaporated. If there's still a little water at the bottom of the pan when you are tired of this step, just pour it off.

Along with the two cups (now four cups) of poppy seeds, you will need 8 ounces of walnuts and 8 ounces of raisins.

The poppy seeds, walnuts, and raisins need to be ground up together in a food processor. I don't know about you, but my food processor isn't big enough to handle all of this at the same time, so I process the mixture in two or three batches.

It doesn't look totally homogenous, as you can see, but there shouldn't be any obvious pieces of walnuts or raisins when you're done. I put my various batches into a big bowl and stir it up really well, then add the rest of the ingredients:

Sugar, honey, egg, jam, nutmeg, spices, a lemon..... and mix it up really well again.

Now all that's left is making and filling the hamantaschen!

There are many, many recipes for hamantaschen dough out there. Over the years, I have made many of these recipes with my own two hands (and the hands of my children). I have made hundreds of dozens of hamantaschen, and this is the recipe that I always come back to. It is a slightly sweet cookie-type dough that is very forgiving (we originally found it in a holiday publication for preschoolers).

Start with a cup of oil and a cup of sugar.

Beat the sugar and oil together. Add two eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. And add a couple of teaspoons of honey. I take the honey measurement on faith as I never measure it any more. I just squeeze honey into the dough until the consistency looks right.

Now gradually add 3 and a half cups of flour. I generally use two cups of unbleached flour and 1-1/2 cups of whole wheat flour, but this is not a requirement. Also add 2 teaspoons baking soda and a dash of salt. Beat the dough until all the flour is incorporated.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. I usually roll it out in two batches, so only use half the dough.

I turn the dough ball over to get a bit of flour on the other side before rolling it out. I have discovered, mainly by watching other people, that rolling out cookie dough is an art form. Getting the dough an even thickness throughout means that you can't roll over the edges of the dough.

I happen to have a set of round biscuit cutters in sizes from 1/2 inch up to 3 inches, but if you don't have this kind of largess in your arsenal, use any round object (e.g., a glass) to cut out your cookies.

Transfer the cut-out circles onto a cookie sheet (greased or lined with parchment) and continue rolling out dough and cutting circles until you are out of dough. Do I need to mention that scraps from cutting out cookies can be reused?

I get about 40 cookie dough circles from one batch of dough, with small scraps left over for sampling.

Now comes the fun part -- filling the cookies and shaping the hamantaschen! There are lots of choices for hamantaschen fillings.

Along with the mohn, these are the fillings we used this year. Solo makes a variety of other fillings, but I had an order for 2 dozen prune hamantaschen from a friend so that's the only one I used this year.

Basically, you put a generous dollop of filling in the center of the dough circle and then you fold up the edges of the circle to make a triangular cookie. Step one, pinch together one corner:

Step two, make two more corners to enclose the filling.

Personally, I like to leave an opening in the middle so that the filling is visible, but some people like to totally enclose the filling so that it is a surprise. Others like to make alternative shapes.

When I am making lots and lots of hamantaschen, I generally do a production-line kind of thing where I start all of the hamantaschen on the tray (step 1):

And then turn the tray to do the other side.

Yes, those are two different trays of hamantaschen. The one shown first is all mohn, and the second one has some chocolate fillings as well. Doesn't matter -- they all work the same way.

One important note -- you really need to pinch the dough together and make sure that it stays together. Too much flour on the rolling out surface can be a problem because the dough won't stick to itself. Messy hamantaschen can result, especially if you use a jam filling:

 Once your hamantaschen are filled and shaped, pop them in a 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

Then take them out and enjoy!

Mohn Filling

2 cups poppy seeds (about 10 oz.)
1/2 lb. raisins
1/2 lb. walnuts
1 egg
2-3 tablespoons jam
1/2 cup sugar
juice and rind of one lemon
1/2 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon each nutmeg, ginger, cloves

Soak poppy seeds in boiling water; when water cools, pour off and then put into a pot and cook, stirring
pretty constantly until dry.

Grind seeds, nuts, and raisins together well. (You may have to do this in multiple batches.)

Mix ground mixture with rest of ingredients. Mix well. Taste and adjust seasonings and sweetness/tartness if
needed.

Hamantaschen Dough
Makes enough for about 40 cookies.

1 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
3-1/2 cups flour (We use 2 unbleached white, 1-1/2 whole wheat)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons honey

Beat oil and sugar together.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.

Add honey, continuing beating.

Gradually add flour and baking powder (sift them together if you insist - we never do). Mix well, using hands at the end if absolutely necessary.

Roll dough out to 1/4-inch thickness (don't roll too thin). Batter may be slightly oily. If the batter is crumbly and won't hold together, adding an egg yolk or egg white usually does the trick.

We sometimes roll the dough between pieces of waxed paper if it seems necessary, but usually we don't.

Cut dough into 3-inch circles, or a near approximation. Put a generous amount of filling in the center of each circle and fold up the sides to form a triangle shape.

Bake on greased cookie sheets at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.

LEARN FROM OUR EXPERIENCES DEPARTMENT: Don't double the recipe, don't refrigerate the dough.