The Jewish High Holidays begin tonight. This is an especially beautiful time as it marks the day G-d opens the Book of Life. Through reflection, prayer, offering apologies and forgiveness, the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, when G-d closes the Book of Life, the chance to request a good year for yourself and those you love is possible. May we all be inscribed in the Book of Life for a sweet, healthy year.
Now, that being said, let it be known that although I am Jewish, I was not raised religiously. I am proud of my Jewish heritage, but I am not the one to come to for any real information regarding the High Holidays. Growing up, the Holidays in my house were celebrated with family coming together, the small ones at the “kids’ table”; everyone laughing heartily and eating huge portions! This tradition continued as I grew older and my own children sat at the “kids’ table”. Now we will hopefully only add more and more family and friends to our celebrations.
There were many traditions that we followed at each and every holiday dinner. One was having a story for each of the beautifully prepared foods at the table. I will offer one story here, more will follow as the week progresses. Please remember, NOT ONE of these stories has any religious meaning; they were all purely ways for my family to offer life lessons.
I will begin with the matzo ball soup, since that was usually the first course.
Served out of a steaming pot, the matzo ball soup was always a main attraction. Matzo meal, being made up of ground up matzo, is the main ingredient of the Matzo ball. Now, to those not familiar with this dry, tasteless cracker, please note it has all the flavor of mashed cardboard. Because of this, it was always a challenge, throughout history, to make anything with matzo taste palatable. Mothers and Grandmothers were either praised or shunned for their matzo balls. Children grew up knowing they had to believe their family recipe had all the qualities for the best matzo balls in the neighborhood. Some families like heavy matzo balls some cherish light ones. This argument over heavy or light occurs whenever a new family member is introduced, as in an upcoming marriage. If you didn’t say, and truly believe, your Mom or Grandmother made the best matzo balls that was not only a slight to their cooking, but to their entire maternal capabilities! Now, my Mother never really cared about this. She made matzo balls, once, from scratch, and they tasted like hot dogs. How that happened, we’ll never know, but, my Grandmother…now, her matzo balls……………………….
The stories surrounding the matzo ball soup were many. Matzo ball soup would be served at my Aunt Marilyn’s house at the beginning of every holiday meal. My family would tell the tale of why matzo balls were round, as if anyone could make them square?! To hear them say it, matzo balls are round to signify the complete circle of the year; the passage of time. They needed to be not too heavy and not too light because your year should be balanced. There should always be pleasure, yet to appreciate the pleasure, a little hard work should be thrown in. The broth the balls floated in needed to be full-bodied. The broth needed big pieces of chicken and lots of carrots. Once again, this was always told that we should “only have abundance”. You “should never know from want”. When matzo ball soup was served at holidays other than Passover, the soup always had to include noodles. The reason? You were always to use your noodle, your brain, whenever possible! Little flakes of parsley would float recklessly throughout the soup. Some flakes would stick to the matzo balls, some to the carrots. The meaning, quite obvious, a few flakes in your life will only add character. Everything, everyone, has something good to add, everything holds value – we were always told to never forget that and to appreciate all that life has to offer.
Recipe for Matzo Ball Soup
Ingredients:
Soup:
1 onion chopped
2 stalks celery
3 carrots
2 cloves garlic
10 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth….I use a combination of both.
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
¾ cup orzo pasta (omit if being used at Passover)
2 boxes matzo ball mix
Matzo Balls
I purchase a boxed mix for the matzo balls. It’s easy and delicious.
Directions:
Make Matzo Balls according to package instructions and place in refrigerator while soup is being prepared.
Meanwhile, in melted butter and crushed garlic, sauté chopped onions, chopped celery, chopped carrots in large pot. Once the vegetables are soft and onions translucent, add the chicken broth (either home made or store bought). Add pasta to the broth.
When soup reaches boiling point, roll matzo balls according to package directions and place in broth. Reduce heat to low and simmer for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
*Note: Please remember, when storing left over soup, separate the matzo balls from the soup or you will end up with HUGE balls and no liquid.
May you all be inscribed in the Book of Life for a Sweet, Wonderful Year!
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