This Thanksgiving was the first time my mother-in-law, Sue, spent it at my home. It may not seem like a bit deal, but consider this: for almost 40 years, Sue has been hosting Thanksgiving for family and friends. I already had most of the cooking planned out, so she didn’t have to do much but relax and socialize, but you’re sorely mistaken if you thought I wouldn’t take this golden opportunity to get her in the kitchen and learn a little bit about her homestyle Jewish cooking. She brought some matzo mix with her, because I had a plan…I was going to use all my turkey leftovers to make Turkey Matzo Ball Soup.
First, we started with the turkey carcass from Thanksgiving dinner. I had made an Earl Grey turkey, so there was leftover rosemary, lemons, and onion. I used those, too.
We put it all in a 12-quart stockpot and covered it with about an inch of water.
And set the turkey to boil down into a broth. This took about three hours.
Meanwhile, we (I mean, Sue) chopped the carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and leftover turkey meat and set it aside.
While the turkey broth is boiling, you can make the matzo balls and set them aside. We cooked both the matzo balls and the egg noodles separately from the broth to keep the starches out. This let the broth maintain it’s clear, delicate flavors.
Making the Matzo Balls
Sue made the matzo ball mix first, and let it set for 15 minutes in the fridge to bind.
After, she wet her hands and, working quickly, started making walnut-sized matzo balls, putting them into a separate six-quart stockpot of boiling water.
After the last matzo ball went into the pot, she covered the pot with a tight-fitting lid and lowered the heat to simmer for 20 minutes.
She then took them out and put them on a plate to cool. When they cook, they increase in size a bit so each of them were now about the size of a small tangerine. There were 24 matzo balls in all.
We drained the plate as water started to settle so the matzo balls wouldn’t get mushy.
Using the same water, I cooked the egg noodles, drained them in a colander, and set them aside.
Then, I sautéed all the chopped vegetables, and set those aside too.
When the broth was finished, I used tongs to take out all the big bones and bits, and then a hand-held strainer to remove the smaller stuff, like the leftover rosemary leaves. I added in the sautéed veggies, turkey meat, the matzo balls, the egg noodles, and a bit of thyme and flat-leaf parsley. Presto! Homemade Turkey Matzo Ball Soup.
“Jewish Penicillin”
One taste and I understood how this type of soup is known as “Jewish penicillin.” Pure soul food. I love my food spicy and normally I reach for something to kick things up, but this time I didn’t want to alter the flavor of the broth, which was mild and had delicate flavors of thyme mingling with the deep turkey base. The matzo balls were the perfect counterpoint with their salty, cracker-like taste, and give a little heft to the soup. The carrots and celery were just the right texture, and combined all together offered up the perfect bite.
It was the perfect way to spend the day, cooking in the kitchen with family and just enjoying time together. Yet, another reason to be truly thankful.
You Might Like These Too!
Turkey Matzo Ball Soup
Equipment
- 12-quart stock pot
- 6-quart stock pot or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 turkey carcass
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 medium carrots, chopped into bite-sized chunks
- 3 medium celery stalks, chopped into bite-sized chunks
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 cups diced turkey meat leftover
- 4 cups egg noodles
Matzo Balls
- 5 ounce box of matzo ball mix two packages in the box
- 4 large eggs
- 4 tablespoons canola oil
Instructions
- In a large, 10-quart stock pot, place the bones and neck (if you've saved it). Break up the carcass in chunks to better fit, if needed. Add enough water to cover the bones about an inch or so. (If you are making this soup from the Earl Grey turkey, add the rosemary, lemons, and extra garlic as well.)
- Simmer, uncovered for about 3 hours. Skim off froth if it appears. As it cooks, if the broth reduces too much, add a cup or so of water back in.
- While broth is cooking, make the matzo balls. Bring about 6 quarts of water to boil in a 6-quart stock pot.
- In a medium bowl, add both packages in the box, eggs, and oil together. Set aside in fridge for 15 minutes to thicken and bind.
- When ready, take matzo out, and wet hands. Taking the batter into hand, form a ball about the size of a walnut and place into the water. Working quickly, make the entire batch of matzo balls this way.
- Cover pot with fitted lid, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. (You'll make about 24 balls at this size.)
- Remove matzo balls when time is up, and place them on a plate to cool. If water collects on plate from balls, drain to prevent from getting soggy and falling apart. Set aside in fridge.
- Using the same water, boil the noodles until they are al dente. Drain in colander and set aside.
- Heat up a skillet with the olive oil. Sauté the carrots and celery. When soft, add the onions and garlic. Cook until slightly translucent.
- When broth is ready, remove big pieces of bones with tongs. Also run a smaller, hand-held strainer through the soup to remove smaller bits. Put in large bowl and separate the better parts of the turkey to add back into the soup with the diced meat you have.
- Add the vegetables to the stock.
- Add the herbs and turkey.
- Add matzo balls and noodles right before serving.
Leave a Reply