Lillian’s Matzo Balls
This recipe, a 70 year old family heirloom at this point, is the gold standard in my book and the only one I’ve ever seen that calls to whip your egg whites - resulting in the lightest, fluffiest matzo balls you can make. My grandmother Lillian made them incredibly simple - just eggs, matzo, and seasoning - but my aunts over the years opted to add a few extra ingredients for more flavor. Schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) can usually be purchased at a good butcher, though if you can’t find it, you want to substitute with another fat like vegetable oil.
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Makes 6 balls, with 1 egg making roughly 3 balls depending on size
2 large eggs, whites and yolks separated
½ cup (1.2dl) matzo meal, Manischewitz preferred but Streits works too (is a bit coarser)
Big pinch salt, smaller pinch of pepper
2 tbsp (30 ml) schmaltz or vegetable oil
1 tbsp (15 ml) seltzer
Large handful chopped dill (optional)
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Separate eggs, putting the whites in a large mixing bowl and the yolks in small bowl.
Add salt to egg whites and beat until stiff peaks form and the surface is shiny.
Beat egg yolks lightly with a fork. Add seltzer, schmaltz/oil, and dill. Fold into whites gently until one color. Add black pepper to mixture.
Add matzo meal to the mixture – slowly, a few tablespoons at a time – folding gently to incorporate into the egg whites without reducing the air from the whipped whites and making sure you have no pockets of egg or matzo throughout. It should be a sticky consistency when it’s done.
Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in the refrigerator for 45 minutes. During this time, fill a large wide pot (like a dutch oven) with 2” water and bring to a low boil. Separately, prep a small bowl with ice cold water on the side.
After 45 minutes, remove mixture from refrigerator and make balls on a plate - dipping your hands in the cold water first to keep the mixture from sticking to you while you shape them and using a teaspoon to gently take the mixture from the bowl. Shape the dough in your hands very gently, making nice round balls without packing them tightly - you want to be careful not to squeeze the air and lightness out of them unnecessarily. Balls should be about golfball sized (they expand significantly, about 2X, when cooking).
Make sure water in the pot now has come to a boil but is turned down to a simmer, so no rough bubbles will disturb the balls as they cook. Add balls to the simmering water pot, in batches if necessary, making sure you don’t overcrowd your pot and leave room for them to expand.
Cover your pot and turn to low simmer (no aggressive bubbling) and cook slowly, between 30 – 60 minutes at a simmer, depending on the size. Every 10-15 mins open pot to turn the balls over gently with a spoon and make sure they are cooking on all sides. After 30 minutes, scoop one out and insert very sharp knife into the center to test. Balls will be soft all the way through when they are totally done.
Scoop finished balls into bowls of heated chicken broth and serve with fresh dill, optional celery greens, sliced carrots and parsnips, and salt and pepper to taste.
To store the remaining balls, place in tupperware (ideally one layer not stacked) and cover the balls completely in water (anything not covered will harden). They can be frozen this way as well. Once defrosted, balls can be reheated slowly in a pot of hot water (off heat) for 5 mins before serving in hot soup (can be reheated in chicken broth but I like keeping the broth super clear).
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