Matzo Ball Soup
 

Tip #1. Start with cold water, ALWAYS.
Tip #2. Add only Kosher Salt to the water, it clarifies the stock and makes it less cloudy.

Tip#3. Use a good chicken. Always use the best products you can in cooking, it makes a big difference. Try and get an Organic, Amish or Free Range chicken. They even look different, you will notice they have a more yellow tint to them, due to the difference in their diet.

Tip#4.  The water to meat ratio is important.  Otherwise you just end up with a watery broth.  Yuck.  Pour in enough water to cover the chicken.

That’s it.
Tip#5. Patience!

Ingredients

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For the Soup

• 1 whole Amish chicken or cut up chicken pieces with skin-on

• 6 or 7 medium carrots peeled and cut in half

• 2 large onions peeled and cut in half

• 1 bunch dill washed

• 1 bunch parsley washed

• 3-4 parsley roots peeled and cut in half if large

• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns

• Kosher Salt
   

For the matzoballs

• 1 cup matzomeal

• 4 eggs

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/3 tsp pepper

• 3 tbsp melted shmaltz or vegetable oil chicken fat

• 1 tsp minced fresh dill

Directions:

1. Wash out your chicken and place it in the stockpot and cover it completely with COLD water. And let it simmer.

2. You are going to notice the scum start to come up. It's really just coagulated blood. I let it simmer away for about 25 more minutes.

3. In the meantime, prep your gorgeous carrots. I like to get the ones with the greenery still attached to them. It somehow makes everything seem better in life.

4. Same with your parsley root. What's that? You never used a parsley root? Well it's magnificent! It is sweet and gloriously parsley like! Plus you get to use the actual leaves attached to the parsley root as...PARSLEY! 

5. Don't forget to clean two onions as well!

6. And then I use an unorthodox approach. I dump (and save) the broth out into a large colander so that we can start fresh with a new broth. This is how Asian broths are so nice and clear.

7. Make sure to rinse the chicken and the pot of all the scum.

8. And now we place all the veggies, parsley, dill, chicken, salt and pepper into the pot. Cover it again with cold water and let it simmer on medium-low for about 2 hours.

9. In the meantime let's make our matzoballs.

10. Combine all the ingredients for your matzoballs in a large bowl. I like to add dill to mine to increase the flavor and the color.

11. Mix it all up with a spoon until it's nice smooth. Place this mixture into the fridge for 20 minutes. Remember the pit of chick broth we strianed before, us this strained broth to cook the matzoballs in. Bring up to boil.

12. I like to use a little ice cream scooper to scoop them into my hand and then roll the balls out.

13. Then place them on a plate.

14.  The secret to fluffy matzoballs also has a lot to do with how long you cook them. If you want a dense and heavy matzoball, cook it for 25 minutes. If you are going for airy and light floaters, you are going to want to boil them for 35-40 minutes.

15. Drop them into the simmering pot of broth carefully, one by one.

16. Turn it down to a simmer. Cover it. And let them cook for 35-40 minutes. Once they are finished, you can serve them immediately with the soup or you can cool them completely then place them in another container in the refrigerator.

17. Now back to our chicken soup. Taste it. Make sure it's as sweet as you want it and add salt if needed.

18. There we go...golden. Beautiful and delicious. If you want to skim the fat off some, the easiest way is to place it in the fridge and let the fat solidify over night. Then you can go ahead and just remove the fat solids. I like to leave the fat in.

19. Serve the soup with a matzoball or two, some of the veggies, some meat on the side and a nice sprinkling of dill

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Brisket

The technique is one of the most important aspects.  Go low and slow.  Low temperature, slow cooking.  This will allow the connective tissue to break down and the fat to melt slowly, leaving you with that ultimate melt in your mouth brisket.
 

There must also always be an acidic component.  I use both tomato acid (ketchup) and wine to allow for a deeper and richer flavor in the meat and the sauce.

The best thing about this brisket is that it is one pan and FREEZER ENCOURAGED.  Make it ahead of time.  Freeze it.  And let it warm up in a 350-degree oven the day of service.  It will be perfection.  Something magical happens when you  freeze foods like brisket.

When you purchase your brisket.  Do not purchase it cleaned.  Purchase it whole with the fat still on it.  And place the fat side UP when roasting.  NOT DOWN.

Now combine your ketchup, dehydrated onion, garlic, chicken base and water in a bowl.  Mix it all up to combine.

 

Now slather it onto EVERY nook and cranny.  Massage your brisket.  Making sure to cover it all over.  Then cover it and place in the fridge for 24 hours or at the very least overnight.

The next day, roughly chop your carrots and onions.  You want nice, large chunks.  I had some gorgeous multicolored carrots leftover so I used that.

Pour in the wine, throw the veggies on top and also nestle them in between for good measure.  You want the liquid to cover almost all the way to the top.

Cover with foil tightly and place into a 275-degree oven for the next 6-7 hours or so.  The ultimate test of course is the fork test.  You want it to be nice and tender.  I know it is perfect when the ends are easily falling off.  That means the center has a more meaty texture.  

 

I always make mine ahead of time.  So these next few steps are crucial.  Take the whole pan and place it into the fridge over night or for a few hours until it cools completely and fat solidifies.

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See all that orange looking goup around the meat?  That’s fat.  And you do not need it.  It will make your sauce greasy.

Just take a spoon and lift up the fat.  It will come off easily.  

Now we slice.  This is a VERY important step.  If you slice the brisket with the grain, you can forget about that gorgeous melt in your mouth brisket.  You need to cut AGAINST the grain.  That way you will get perfectly beautiful slices.  This is also why we chilled it first.  Not only is it easier to remove the fat, but it is much easier to cut the meat when it is cold.

Using a sharp knife we are going to be cutting AGAINST the grain.  Make you use the length of the knife instead of sawing through the meat with short motions.

 

And now we place it into the pan…FAT SIDE DOWN.  Because when you reheat your brisket…it is better fat side down.

At this point, I cover my brisket back up…and stick it in the freezer until it’s time to cook it!

Reheat it in a 350-degree oven, covered for about 40-45 minutes.  And serve.

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Brisket

Ingredients

• 7-8 pounds of brisket

• 1 bottle of ketchup

• 1 1/2 cups of dry red wine

• 1 1/2 cups water

• 1.5 tbsp chicken base I find it milder than beef base

• 1/4 cup dehydrated onion flakes

• 6 cloves of garlic roughly chopped

• 2 onions roughly chopped

• 6 large carrots cut into large chunks

• Salt and pepper to taste
   

Directions:
 

1. Combine ketchup, water, dehydrated onion, garlic and chicken base and mix to combine.

2. Slather this beautiful mixture onto the brisket sneaking it into each nook and cranny.

3. Let stand in refrigerator for 24 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 275-degrees and place remaining ingredients over brisket in a tightly sealed roasting pan into the oven.

5. Cook for 6-8 hours. Typically the rule of thumb is an hour a pound. But the true test is when it pulls apart with two forks..

6. Place in refrigerator over night to cool.

7. Remove fat and cut against the grain NOT with the grain.

8. Place sauce over sliced meat and put into 350- degree oven to warm the meat and sauce.