Sunday (or whatever day you have off of work) is prep day for the rest of the week, if you have anything on the upcoming week’s menu that makes dinner creation somewhat time-consuming. Now is the time to chop vegetables and make dough. We have matzo ball soup on this week’s menu. The broth takes three hours but you can refrigerate it for up to three days, making it a perfectly indulgent workday dinner when prepped on a day off.
Tony got this recipe from the Food Network and only modified it slightly based on what we had in the house. The original recipe said to discard the chicken and vegetables from the stock pot, but we’re content eating them or making something for another dinner. Before putting the chicken in the pot, remember to reach in the cavity and remove the bag that has the liver or extra parts in it. The neck can go into the stock pot. This is a basic stock so you can make noodles and use it for chicken noodle soup. I’ve made and tasted a lot of broth over the years; if you don’t have something, like the tomatoes, the broth will turn out just as well.
Here I’m showing cooking the broth and how you skim the fat off of the top (with my Grandpa’s giant spoon). You tilt a spoon and gently let the round drops of fat from the top slip onto the spoon. If you have a lean chicken, you can see there isn’t much fat. Normally I discard the fat, but the matzo ball recipe we’re using calls for 2 tablespoons, that’s why I’m reserving it in the directions.
Matzo Ball Soup Broth
1 3-4 pound chicken
3 stalks celery, halved
2 medium carrots, halved
1 onion, halved
5 plum tomatoes, quartered
3 sprigs parsley
3 sprigs dill
2 t kosher salt
1 t coriander seeds
1 t black peppercorns
1/4 t cloves
Put everything in a large pot and add enough cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat; reduce the heat to maintain a low simmer and cook, skimming off the foam occasionally for 3 hours. Strain and let broth cool. Skim off the fat, reserving 2 tablespoons fat for the matzo balls.
