Matzo Ball Soup Jewish Penicillin Cures All… So Says Bubbe

Matzo Ball Soup Jewish Penicillin Cures All… So Says Bubbe

Growing up a good Jewish girl means you learn 2 basic things. Matzo ball Soup and homemade Chicken noodle soup cures all. And, the fine art of  the ‘guilt trip’ Make those you love feel terribly guilty and do pretty much everything you say. Since it’s freezing here in Vegas and everyone is getting sickly, I’ll share the secret of Jewish Penicillin!

You’d think, living in Las Vegas we’d be immune to flu, nasty colds, all the typical ‘cold weather’ yucks that the rest of the country gets. So not true my friends. Right now, there’s an awful flu bug going around Ethan’s school. Of course, he caught it and was kind enough to share it with everyone in the house. My 1st stop was Target to grab some good Kleenex so we didn’t blow our already sore noses raw.  Then I grabbed all the fixin’s for Bubbe’s Homemade Chicken Soup. One of my favorite memories as a kid is smelling her cooking up anything in her tiny kitchen. But especially my favorite matzo ball soup! It really is a cure for everything that ails you! Cough, cold, flu… even a broken heart! Teenage boys and germs have nothing on this awesome super food! And no, you don’t have to step foot in a Temple to believe in the power of the Matzo ball… or the homemade chicken soup either! The fine art of ‘Guilt’ however, you’re on your own. I never did pick up the power for making others feel guilty. My superpower is usually feeling guilty. That’s a whole ‘nutter story! How about getting your soup on with me?

Homemade Chicken and Matzo Ball Soup Ingredients:

I should say that everyone has their own way of making chicken soup. There’s not 1 single ‘right’ recipe. Basically, you’re making stock. This way happens to be my family’s favorite. Feel free to whip it up the way you like it. Maybe add garlic if that’s your thing… some other spices to taste. Have fun with it or stick to Bubbe’s recipe! You really can’t go wrong!

• 1 Whole Chicken (about 4 lbs)
• 6 Carrots (peeled and chopped)
• 6 Stalks of Celery (cleaned and chopped -including leaves)
• 1 Onion (I use yellow, chopped in 1/4)
• Fresh Parsley (chopped, about 1/4 cup)
• Fresh Dill (a good sized handful)
• 2 TSP Black Peppercorns
• 2 Bay Leaves
• Kosher Salt (to taste)
• 1/4 Tsp Saffron (this is what gives it the rich color!)

Homemade Chicken and Matzo Ball Soup Directions:

• Clean the chicken and place into a large stock pot. Cover with 4 quarts of water. Boil.
• Let the chicken boil for 10-15 minutes. You’ll want to skim the foamy goop off the top every few minutes.
• Add all your ingredients to the pot. Let it again come to a boil.
• Reduce heat and let simmer for about 2 hours, covered.
• When chicken is fall off the bone tender, remove from heat. Carefully pluck from the broth. Cut up into pieces and set aside. Allow the chicken and the broth to cool.
• Remove carrots, onions and celery -set aside in bowl. Strain all the herbs. You can toss those now.
• Now is when you’ll add your matzo balls to the broth, let it boil and cook those babies up right in your homemade chicken broth! I cheated this time around and used Manischewitz Matzo Ball Mix. There’s a great recipe for homemade Matzo balls here.
• Now, add your chicken and veggies back to the broth. Let that heat back up and done!

Ethan loves the big, wide eggs noodles so I added a bag of those in for him as well. It’s just one big bowl of comfort really! I guarantee, whether it’s cold and flu season, or just a case of the blah’s… Grab some Kleenex, your favorite warm fuzzy slippers and throw a pot of homemade Chicken and Matzo Ball Soup on and all will soon be perfect. Unless you have a case of ‘the guilts’. Then, I got nothing 🙂