My Favorite Matzo Ball Soup | Home Movies with Alison Roman
TLDRIn this delightful video, Alison Roman introduces viewers to her favorite soup, matzo ball soup, also known as 'Jewish penicillin.' She shares her recipe for the delectable dish, emphasizing the importance of making matzo balls from scratch for the best results. Alison provides a detailed guide on how to crush matzo into a fine meal, mix it with eggs, chicken fat, and seasonings, and let it rest before forming into balls. The video also covers the preparation of a flavorful chicken broth using chicken wings, onions, fennel, and carrots, which is simmered for hours to extract maximum flavor. She then demonstrates how to boil the matzo balls separately in salted water before combining them with the broth. The final step involves garnishing the soup with fresh herbs and enjoying a hearty, comforting bowl of matzo ball soup that's perfect for any time of the year.
Takeaways
- 🍲 The speaker is making matzo ball soup, which they consider one of their top five favorite foods and refer to as 'Jewish penicillin'.
- 📅 Matzo ball soup is often associated with Passover, but the speaker enjoys it all year round.
- 🍞 The matzo balls are made from scratch using matzah or matzah meal, which the speaker crushes using a rolling pin.
- 🥚 The matzo ball mixture includes eggs, chicken fat, club soda, and seasonings like chives and dill.
- 🧊 The matzo ball mixture needs to rest in the fridge for about two hours to firm up before being boiled.
- 🍽 The speaker prefers a deli-style soup with a focus on the broth and matzo balls, rather than noodles.
- 🥘 The chicken broth for the soup is made using parts like wings, which have a good amount of cartilage, tissue, fat, and skin to enhance flavor.
- 🧂 The broth is seasoned with salt, onions, fennel, and carrots, which contribute to its sweetness and depth of flavor.
- 🥣 The matzo balls are boiled in salted water, not the chicken broth, to prevent the broth from reducing too much.
- 🕒 The matzo balls are boiled for about 12 to 15 minutes until they expand and float to the top of the pot.
- 🌿 The soup is garnished with fresh herbs like dill and celery leaves, and the speaker prefers not to peel the vegetables for the broth.
Q & A
What is the dish that Alison Roman is making in the transcript?
-Alison Roman is making matzo ball soup, which she refers to as one of her favorite foods and even calls it 'Jewish penicillin'.
Why does Alison suggest making matzo balls from scratch instead of buying a mix?
-Alison believes that making matzo balls from scratch is not hard and results in a better texture and flavor than using a mix, which she considers a travesty.
What are the key ingredients in Alison's matzo ball recipe?
-The key ingredients in Alison's matzo ball recipe include matzah or matzah meal, salt, chives, dill, chicken fat, eggs, and club soda.
Why does Alison prefer to use wings when making the chicken broth for the soup?
-Alison prefers to use wings because they have an abundance of cartilage, tissue, fat, skin, and bone, which contribute to a flavorful and golden brown broth.
What is the significance of refrigerating the matzo ball mixture for at least two hours?
-Refrigerating the matzo ball mixture for at least two hours allows the matzah to soak in the liquid and the chicken fat to solidify, which helps the matzo balls to expand and set, resulting in a fluffy texture.
Why does Alison choose to add club soda to the matzo ball mixture?
-Alison adds club soda to the matzo ball mixture because its effervescence helps keep the matzo balls light and airy, similar to a soufflé.
How does Alison prepare the vegetables for the chicken broth?
-Alison does not peel the vegetables before adding them to the broth. She uses onions with skin on for a golden color, fennel for a monochrome vegetable story, and carrots for a touch of sweetness. She also uses celery, including its leaves, for added flavor.
What is Alison's approach to seasoning the broth while it simmers?
-Alison seasons the broth with a few healthy pinches of salt and suggests seasoning as you go, allowing the salt to coax out the cooking process and encourage the vegetables to give up their flavors.
Why does Alison strain the broth through a finer mesh strainer after simmering?
-Alison strains the broth through a finer mesh strainer to remove any small particles and create a clear and smooth broth for the matzo ball soup.
How long does Alison recommend boiling the matzo balls in salted water?
-Alison recommends boiling the matzo balls in salted water for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they have expanded and are floating at the top of the pot.
What are the final steps to garnish the matzo ball soup before serving?
-The final steps to garnish the matzo ball soup include adding a few slices of fresh chives, a sprinkle of fresh dill, and some celery leaves. Alison also mentions adding a little fresh pepper for taste.
Outlines
😀 Introduction to Matzo Ball Soup
Alison Roman introduces the video with a humorous anecdote about an egg carrier and a chicken, then warmly welcomes viewers to her show, 'Home Movies.' She expresses her love for matzo ball soup, which she considers among her top five favorite foods. Alison shares that it's often associated with Passover but is a year-round dish for her. The video focuses on making a deli-style matzo ball soup with a clear broth and fluffy matzo balls. She emphasizes the soup's versatility and her personal preference for making the matzo balls from scratch, rather than using a mix. Alison also discusses the importance of allowing the matzo ball mixture to rest in the fridge and the option to prepare the soup components in advance for convenience.
🍲 The Art of Matzo Ball Making
In this segment, Alison addresses the process of making matzo balls from scratch, emphasizing the importance of using matzah or matzah meal. She demonstrates how to crush matzah into a fine powder using a rolling pin, adding a personal touch by preferring a slightly non-uniform texture. The matzo ball mixture ingredients are discussed, including the use of chives, dill, salt, chicken fat, eggs, and club soda. Alison shares her thoughts on the ideal texture of matzo balls, which she describes as 'eggy' and 'custardy.' She also touches on the garnishing process with herbs and the importance of not overdoing it with the herbs.
🍗 Crafting the Flavorful Chicken Broth
Alison details the creation of a rich and flavorful chicken broth, advocating for the use of chicken wings due to their cartilage, tissue, fat, and bone, which contribute to the soup's depth of flavor. She discusses the addition of vegetables like onions, fennel, and carrots for natural sweetness and layers of flavor. The inclusion of celery is highlighted as a key ingredient, with Alison praising its intense flavor and using the leaves as well. The process of simmering the broth for two hours to develop the flavors is explained, along with the importance of seasoning as the broth cooks. The final step involves straining the broth to remove the solids and retaining the flavorful liquid for the matzo ball soup.
🕒 Cooking Matzo Balls and Finalizing the Soup
The final paragraph outlines the cooking process for the matzo balls. Alison explains that the chilled matzo ball mixture firms up, making it ready to be shaped into balls and boiled in salted water, which prevents the broth from reducing too much. She emphasizes the importance of not rushing the process, allowing the matzo balls to expand and become light and airy. Once cooked, the matzo balls are added to the broth, along with thinly sliced carrots, which are softened by the hot broth without losing their snappy texture. The video concludes with Alison garnishing the soup with fresh herbs and advising on the garnishing technique to enhance the soup's presentation and flavor.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Matzo Ball Soup
💡Matzo
💡Chicken Fat
💡Club Soda
💡Chives and Dill
💡Eggs
💡Chicken Broth
💡Straining
💡Salt
💡Garnish
💡Celerity
Highlights
Alison Roman introduces matzo ball soup as one of her top five favorite foods.
Matzo ball soup is referred to as 'Jewish penicillin' by Alison's grandfather.
The soup is not limited to Hanukkah and can be enjoyed year-round.
Alison shares her preference for a deli-style soup with a focus on broth and matzo balls.
The matzo ball mixture requires a rest of about two hours in the fridge.
Making matzo balls from scratch is preferred over using a mix, according to Alison.
The importance of using matzah or matzah meal in the matzo ball recipe is emphasized.
Matzo balls are described as having an ethereal, light texture, almost custardy.
Herbs like chives and dill are added to the matzo ball mixture for flavor.
Alison uses chicken fat and club soda in her matzo ball recipe for a unique texture.
The chicken broth for the soup is made with chicken wings for added flavor and richness.
Vegetables like onions, fennel, and carrots are used to add sweetness to the broth.
The process of straining the broth through a colander and fine mesh strainer is detailed.
Boiling matzo balls in salted water rather than chicken broth prevents the broth from reducing too much.
Alison's technique for forming matzo balls and boiling them is described.
The final soup is garnished with fresh herbs and vegetables for a fresh, snappy texture.
Alison emphasizes the soup's deep chicken flavor, even without adding chicken to the soup.
Transcripts
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