Lemon Saffron Matzo Ball Soup

I must be the only Jewish girl that has never made matzo ball soup before. I remember all the woman in my family make this traditional soup all through my childhood but alas I never succumbed to the task.

I’ve heard Passover being referred to as “The Jewish Thanksgiving” because really, the food is pretty awesome. I always..always make my mom’s Bimuelos and there’s always a pot roast roasting in the oven. Boxes of matzo fill our cabinets and I even venture into the forbidden. Gefilte fish, that is. I grew up on the cold jarred fish in fishy gelatinous gunk, but I kinda like it. Actually I saw a recipe for homemade gefilte which looked pretty amazing so I may dive right in.

So for this recipe, I thought I would combine both my Sephardic and Ashkenazi sides together. If you’re not familiar with what that means, it basically means  that my background is Jewish, but from different parts of the world. My mom’s side is Sephardic where her side is from Turkey and ancestors from Spain. Sephardic cuisine has a lot of Mediterranean flavors, such as lemons, olives, saffron, etc. On the other hand, my fathers side is Ashkenazi which means that my Jewish family on his side comes from Eastern Europe, such as Poland, Austria, Russia, etc. Ashkenazi Jewish food is probably more commonly recognized, such as matzo ball soup, brisket, latkes, etc. This food is more ‘stick to your ribs” hence the cold winters in Eastern Europe.

I’ve mentioned in my little bio page, I am blessed to have both sides in my family, so I have enjoyed everything from my mom’s famous stuffed grape leaves to my grandpa’s matzo brei (on dad’s side).

I wanted to “brighten up” the traditional flavors of matzo ball chicken soup a bit. Not that there is anything wrong with it, I’ll take a bowl of matzo ball soup any day, gut lemon is one of my favorite flavors and I still have Persian dried lemon leftover that I thought would be amazing with it!  I also added a touch of saffron to the matzo ball mixture, which I think I need to grind up a bit more next time. The flavors of the dried lemon simmering in the pot was just beautiful. I also added lemon zest in the mixture which is also one of my favorite ingredients to use.

Method:

1) Begin by making your chicken stock. I slightly cheated and used both water and boxed stock. In a large pot, add water and stock, 4 whole carrots, 1 onion, 1 garlic bulb, 2 stalks of celery, chicken, 4 dried lemons and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on medium until chicken is cooked through, about an 1-1/2 hours.

2) As the soup cooks, check it every so often and use a ladle to skim the fat from the top. It will be white and look frothy. You may also need to add more liquid if you see it reducing.

3) While soup is cooking, make your matzo balls. In a bowl add matzo meal, eggs, sparkling water, grapeseed oil, cayenne, saffron, turmeric, lemon zest, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix everything together and place in fridge  to set for about 20 minutes.

4) When matzo mixture is ready, it will not be as “lose” as when you first mixed, but will be a little firmer. With wet hands, roll the matzo balls lightly between your palms, about the size of a golf ball. Place them on a plate until ready. You should have about 14.

5) When chicken is done, remove it to a cutting board. When it is cool enough to handle, chop or shred the chicken, discarding bones and skin. Set aside.

6) Next, strain the soup through a fine mesh sieve and discard aromatics. (*Note: I left the dried lemon in because I just love the flavor). Return soup base to your pot. Taste for seasoning.

7) Next, bring your soup back to a simmer. Add your chopped carrots, celery and matzo balls. The soup should be at a constant simmer but not overly-boiling. Cover pot and cook matzo balls for 35 minutes. When ready, they should be floating.

8) When soup is ready, turn off and back your chicken, add chopped parsley, dill and sliced lemon.

9) Ladle soup in bowls with matzo balls and chicken and then pour in soup. Add additional lemon slices.

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Lemon Saffron Matzo Ball Soup

Prep Time1 hr 30 mins

Cook Time35 mins

Total Time2 hrs 5 mins

Servings: 7 -8 servings

Author: Samantha Ferraro

Ingredients

Chicken Soup

• 4-5 cups water
• 2, 32 oz box of chicken stock low sodium
• 4 whole carrots + 2 carrots peeled and chopped
• 1 onion cut in half
• 1 garlic bulb cut in half
• 2 whole stalks of celery + 2 stalks of celery chopped
• 2 Chicken thighs and 2 chicken breasts or whatever you have on hand
• 4 dried Persian lemons
• Salt and pepper to taste

Matzo Balls

• 3/4 cup matzo meal
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tb grapeseed oil or any light flavored oil you have
• Pinch of cayenne
• Pinch of saffron ground up
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• Small handful of parsley chopped
• 1/4 cup sparkling water
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish

• Chopped dill
• Chopped parsley
• Lemon slices

Instructions

• Begin by making your chicken stock. I slightly cheated and used both water and boxed stock. In a large pot, add water and stock, 4 whole carrots, 1 onion, 1 garlic bulb, 2 stalks of celery, chicken, 4 dried lemons and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on medium until chicken is cooked through, about an 1-1/2 hours.
• As the soup cooks, check it every so often and use a ladle to skim the fat from the top. It will be white and look frothy. You may also need to add more liquid if you see it reducing.
• While soup is cooking, make your matzo balls. In a bowl add matzo meal, eggs, sparkling water, grapeseed oil, cayenne, saffron, turmeric, lemon zest, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix everything together and place in fridge to set for about 20 minutes.
• When matzo mixture is ready, it will not be as "lose" as when you first mixed, but will be a little firmer. With wet hands, roll the matzo balls lightly between your palms, about the size of a golf ball. Place them on a plate until ready. You should have about 14.
• When chicken is done, remove it to a cutting board. When it is cool enough to handle, chop or shred the chicken, discarding bones and skin. Set aside.
• Next, strain the soup through a fine mesh sieve and discard aromatics. (*Note: I left the dried lemon in because I just love the flavor). Return soup base to your pot. Taste for seasoning.
• Next, bring your soup back to a simmer. Add your chopped carrots, celery and matzo balls. The soup should be at a constant simmer but not overly-boiling. Cover pot and cook matzo balls for 35 minutes. When ready, they should be floating.
• When soup is ready, turn off and back your chicken, add chopped parsley, dill and sliced lemon.
• Ladle soup in bowls with matzo balls and chicken and then pour in soup. Add additional lemon slices.

There are so many variations to matzo ball soup now, here are a few of my favorites!

Dilled Matzo Ball Soup from The View from Great Island

Matzo Ball Soup with Chicken Meatballs from Foodiecrush

Caramelized Onion Stuffed Matzoh Ball Soup from Plantains and Challah

Matzah Ball Chicken Tortilla Soup from What Jew Wanna Eat