Finally, soup with Kneidlech for the blog!
I am super excited to release this recipe after going through all the experiment stages successfully! A generous addition of almond butter takes this traditional recipe to the next level. These Matzo Balls are soft, easy to make, and without baking powder. When you work according to the instructions, they do not fall apart in cooking.
This recipe is based on a traditional kneidlach recipe I got from my mother. The original recipe contains matzah flour, margarine (god forbid), and eggs. I’ve never made kneidlach before. But over the years, the nostalgia for forgotten childhood food wakes up.
So I replaced the margarine with vegan butter, which basically does a dual role here: fat and lecithin (found in egg yolk); For flavor and extra binder, I added almond butter.
Already at the mixing stage, when I tested to see if there was enough salt, it was so delicious that I wasn’t sure if I should cook them at all😀
I boiled salted water, lowered the heat, and added the matzo balls. After about five minutes, the kneidlach flipped over and floated. So I cooked them for another five minutes and marked myself a big V!
I served them with a clear vegetable soup with a bold taste of root vegetables (of course, a recipe is attached 🙂
Enjoy and Happy holidays ❤️
Veggie Root Soup – 6 Servings
- 2 Peeled carrots and cut into discs about half a centimeter thick (0.2 inches).
- 1 – ½ Zucchini (dark green skin) cut into discs about half a centimeter thick (0.2 inches).
- 1-2 Parsley root, well washed and cut into quarters or eighths.
- 2-1 Celery root brushed and cleaned, peeled, and cut into quarters.
- 1 Peeled onion and cut into quarters
- 2 Celery sticks cut into quarters
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 5 berries whole allspice berries
- 5 berries whole black pepper
- 2½ Liter water
- 1 Tablespoon salt by taste
- pinch turmeric optional
Matzo balls – About 50 balls of 3.5 cm in diameter (1.37 Inch)
- 1½ cup Coarse ground matzah flour
- 4 Tablespoon almond butter
- 100 gram vegan butter, melted
- 1 Tablespoon almond oil or any mild oil
- 2 Tablespoon potato starch or cornstarch
- 3 – 3½ cup boiling water to add gradually
- ½ tsp salt by taste
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper by taste
Colored Matzo Balls
- beetroot powder note at the bottom of the recipe
- dried tomato powder note at the bottom of the recipe
- blue spirulina powder note at the bottom of the recipe
For Serving
- parsley or dill
Soup
- Put in the soup bag: celery root, parsley root, celery sticks, onion, bay leaf, allspice, and black pepper. Close the bag tightly and place it in the pot.
- Add the carrots to the pot (add the zucchini towards the end of cooking).
- Add water and salt; Cover, bring to a boil, lower the heat to a state of gentle bubbling and cook for 50 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.
- Add the zucchini and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the zucchini are tender. Remove from the heat.
- Remove the bag with the root vegetables. You can place the bag in a strainer on a bowl and press the veggies with a soup spoon to squeeze out as much flavorful liquid possible. Add the liquid that has accumulated in the bowl to the soup pot. Save the root vegetables for other recipes.
- If you plan to serve the soup later, transfer it with the carrots and zucchini to an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator.
Matzo Ball
- Fill a large pot with water that will comfortably hold the matzo balls; Bring to a boil and add a teaspoon of salt. Reduce heat. The water should be on the verge of bubbling but not bubbling. Meanwhile, until the water is boiling, prepare the matzo balls.
- Mix in a bowl all the ingredients together except the boiling water.
- Gradually add the boiling water until the ingredients come together and a soft, formable mixture is obtained. For colored matzo balls, see the note at the end of the recipe.
- Lightly grease the palms. Using a small spoon to make cookies (about 3 cm in diameter – 1.18 inches), measure a cookie-spoon mixture, release the content to the palm of your hand, and form balls.
- Add the matzo balls to the pot with the water, preferably 10 to 15 units at a time, so they do not stick together.
- Cook the matzo balls for 10 minutes, ensuring that the water does not bubble but is on the verge of bubbling. After 5-6 minutes, the matzo balls flip over in the water and float. Cook for another four minutes and remove with a slotted spoon.
- Place the matzo balls on a plate covered with cling film. If you have a "crisper" plastic box with a net inside, usually designed to store vegetables – use it! Keep in the refrigerator.
For Serving
- Remove the matzo balls from the refrigerator about an hour before serving to reach room temperature.
- Heat the soup with carrots and zucchini.
- Put 4-5 matzo balls in a soup bowl, add soup, carrots, zucchini, dill, or parsley leaves, and serve.
- For a colored soup: place colored matzo balls in the soup ball.
- From the root vegetables, you can make patties in the oven (recipe coming soon)
- For Matzo ball in colors: Divide the mixture into four parts, depending on the number of colors; For a purple, add beetroot powder; for orange color, add dried tomato powder; for the blue color, add blue spirulina powder. Leave the fourth part in its natural color. Add the powders gradually until you get the desired hue. In addition to the cheerful colors, there is a nutritional value, plus a delicate beet and tomato flavor.
- For a more golden color soup, add a pinch of turmeric at the end of cooking.
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