I love to eat at diners. Fresh coffee in ceramic mugs. Hard top tables, booths and counters. Pastries on display under plasti-glass domes. Authentic gum chewing servers. Menus that have multiply pages of breakfast lunch and dinner items that can be had anytime of the day or night. What is not to like?
Whenever I arrive in a new town I always scout out a local diner and if it’s lunch or dinner time I always order the same thing on my first visit. Chopped Steak with French Fries* and extra crisp Fried Onions preceded by a cup of Matzo Ball Soup. These are the touchstone items by which I judge new diners. …and of course, coffee. If a place can do this combo justice then they usually do everything well. Generally, they all pass the test.
When I was learning my craft, most diners in my part of the world were owned by Greek Americans and so, not surprisingly, many of diner menus included Greek dishes like Moussaka, Pastitsio and sometimes, Avgolemono Soup. That last one is the what inspired this Matzo Ball Soup hack.
Avgolemono is a rich chicken stock based soup made with egg and lemon. The egg adds body and buttery richness while the lemon contributes brightness and counters any fat that may linger from the stock. It is delicious. One day I’m sure to make an Avgolemono video…..but not today. Somewhere in time, the chefs and cooks at these Greek-owned diners must have decided, quite correctly in my opinion, that lemon is good in any chicken based soup!
Today’s recipe is Matzo Ball Soup hacked with a bit of lemon juice! This Passover favorite is easy to make with just a few ingredients in about an hour. You can use canned chicken stock or broth or you can make your own with whole chicken, bones, legs, thighs or any sort of chicken really.
Although you could buy the prepackaged Matso Ball soup mix and add the lemon, I suggest that you try it from scratch. The difference in effort is small but the difference in taste is large and well worth the small amount of extra effort. If you make it please send us a picture!
Chag sameach!
Matzo Ball Soup
Ingredients
Soup
- 3 Quarts Quarts Chicken Broth or Stock.
- ½ Cup Diced Cooked Chicken Meat.
- ¼ Cup Each Diced Celery, Carrot and Onion.
- 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 2-3 Sprigs Parsley (Optional)
- To Taste Salt and Pepper
Matzo Balls
- ½ Cup Matzo Meal
- 2 Each Slightly Beaten Eggs
- 2 Tbsp Oil or Chicken Fat
- 2 Tbsp Water
- 2 Tbsp Salt
Instructions
Soup
- Saute the celery, carrot and onion in a small amount of the chicken broth until the onions are translucent. Season with a small amount of salt and pepper if you desire.
- Add three quarts of chicken broth or stock, bring to a boil then reduce and allow it to simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Add the cooked chicken, parsley and the lemon juice, return to boil then lower to simmer until the matzo balls are ready.
Matzo Balls
- Combine all ingredients, mix thoroughly, cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, bring about three quarts of salted water to a boil.
- Divide chilled matzo meal mixture into 6-8 pieces. Use water to moisten hands and roll each piece into a matzo ball. They should be about one inch in diameter.
- Gently drop each matzo ball into the boiling water. Return to boil then reduce heat, cover the pot and allow matzo balls to simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Transfer cooked matzo balls to soup and eat immediately or drop them in a bowl of cold water to cool them if you will be eating them at a later time.