Grandma Bella's Amazing Matzo Balls — Unwritten Recipes (2024)

As I've said before, Grammie was not from the cooks, but what she did make was always yummy. In our family she was famous for these and my dad even had a little song he would always tease her withas she doled themout, "Grandma's matzo balls are known to be very fine. One rolled off the table and killed a friend of mine!" (I know, we're a strange family!)Though she'd give him a reproachful look, she secretly loved the song and the attention. Ok, enough with thefamily secrets! Here's how you make these little guys--

You start by soaking matzo in warm water and then squeezing the excess water out from the softened matzos, effectively making matzo mush.

Makes about 14-16 matzo balls

Prep Time: 25 minutes; Cook Time: 1-1 1/2 hours

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cupcorn oil
• 3 sheets of matzo
• 2 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds, chopped roughly
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2-3/4 cup matzo meal
• 2 quarts chicken broth

The Recipe

1. Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Fry onions till golden brown. Transfer onions and oil to a bowl and allow to cool a bit.

2. Pour chicken broth into a large pot, bring to a boil and then turn down very low, but not off.

3.Into a mediumbowl, break upmatzo and cover with warm tap water. Let sit for a few minutes until softened. Over the sink, squeeze handfuls of matzo free of as much water as possible and transfer to a large bowl. Add in cooled onions, eggs, egg yolk, almonds, and salt and pepper. Mix together well. Now add in 1/2 cup of matzo meal and stir to mix. If mixture seems too wet to roll into balls, add a little more matzo meal. Wet your hands slightly and and roll the mixture into balls the size of a small peachand transfer to a plate. Bring the chicken broth back to a boil. Using a large spoon, carefully slidematzo balls into the boiling liquid. Once balls rise to the surface, turn the heat to medium-low and continue to boil for at least 1 hour. At the 1 hour mark, you can take one matzo ball out and check to see if it's done by cutting it in half. If it still seems uncooked, continue to cook at a low boil for another 1/2 hour. (You may need to add more liquid--it's fine to add tap water at this point). When balls are done, remove with a slotted spoon to drain them.

4. Serve immediately in a bowl ofchicken soup, though these are delicious on their own as well.

5. Cooked matzo balls keep for several days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!