Vegetarian “wedding soup”
My Bostonian sister-in law-gave me a recipe for Italian wedding soup just after my wedding almost 14 years ago and I often make it for my husband. Mini meatballs suspended in soup with spinach or kale or any leafy green steeping in a savory broth. I have made it many different times using any number of meatball variations from beef to lamb to chicken and turkey. One of my best friends is a vegetarian and I was thinking about how to make this for her and low and behold I thought about using matzoh balls. Everyone loves Matzoh balls and children go crazy from them.
Whole-Wheat Matzo Balls
3 large eggs, separated
½ cup North Fork garden stock
2 Tablespoons EVOO
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt for boiling and for matzo balls
3 or more Tablespoons of fresh minced parsley and minced green onion
1 cup whole-wheat matzo meal
2 to 3 quarts garden stock.
1. In a medium bowl, combine egg yolks, stock, oil, pepper and 2 teaspoons salt; mix well. Gradually add herbs and 1 cup of matzo meal, stirring with a fork.
2. Wisk egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Gently fold into matzo batter. Cover and refrigerate until better is well chilled, at least 1 hour.
3. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a gentle boil. Wet hands with cold water and shape some of the batter into walnut-size balls. Drop it into pot. If it starts to fall apart, add a little more matzo meal to remaining batter. If it holds its shape, roll remaining batter into balls and add to pot.
4. Simmer matzoh balls, covered, for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the soup until simmering. When matzoh balls are ready, use a slotted spoon to transfer them from water to soup. Serve hot.
Yield: about 12 matzo balls
Make one quart of North Fork garden stock and add a tablespoon of more fresh hberbs along with two cups of baby spinach. The spinach will cooks immediately in the hot stock. When using kale, cook the kale for about 5 minutes or until tender. I like it best with baby kale.
