Matzah balL soup

My mom and grandmother (Hilda and Ida) made incredibly delicious chicken soup. Just heavenly. My family enjoyed it for every Jewish holiday and throughout the year. So, I learned to make this soup from them.

I started to perfect it for myself in college when I made it for my roommate Sheila and me on Friday nights. I learned to make matzah balls in college too and let me tell you there is a technique to that! My first matzah balls were sinkers. I could shape the balls but couldn’t get the darned things off my fingers. My first batch was like my Aunt Ruthie’s and that’s not a compliment. I called to tell her I found her recipe. She hung up on me!!! Since then Ruthie and my mom course-corrected me on how to release the matzah balls into the soup (wet hands with cold water). Traditional balls have matzah meal, eggs, seltzer or baking soda, salt and pepper. Bland. I added my own preferred seasonings of fresh herbs and some spice. The outcome is scrumptious.

Please note: if you are ordering this wonderful combo, I have packaged the matzah balls in their own container because I want you to receive a full 32- fluid ounce container of chicken soup with sliced carrots, parsnips and celery.

INGREDIENTS

Soup

Black Pepper
Carrots
Celery
Whole Chickens
Dill
Onions
Italian or Curly Parsley
Parsnips
Kosher Salt
Water

Matzah Balls

Black Pepper
Cayenne Pepper
Chives
Dill
Eggs
Garlic Powder
Matzah Meal
Italian or Curly Parsley
Kosher Salt
Schmaltz (Chicken Fat)
Seltzer
Paprika

MUSHROOM BARLEY SOUP

Mushroom Barley soup is a traditionally Jewish soup that comes from the Pale of Settlement (Eastern Europe - from Germany, Poland, Hungary and Russia). Parsnips are used occasionally - but always in mine for some added sweetness.

It is thick with pearl barley and lots of mushrooms - in fact 5 different kinds of mushrooms.

I think you will love it as much as my tasting team did!

INGREDIENTS

Barley
Black Pepper
Carrots
Celery
Dried Mushrooms (Porcini and Shiitake)
Fresh Mushrooms (Cremini, Button, Shiitake, King)
Garlic
Grapeseed Oil
Homemade Vegetarian Stock (Bay Leaves, Carrots, Celery, Grapeseed Oil, Leeks, Dried Mushrooms, Onion, Parsley, Black Peppercorns, Kosher Salt, Thyme, Tomato Paste, Water)
Kosher Salt
Parsnips

“Thick-as-fog” Vegetarian Split pea soup

Like so many of my friends, I grew up with my mom making a ‘homemade’ kosher split pea soup. She used the sleeve of Manischewitz® Split Pea Soup mix and added some diced carrots and sometimes even some orange split peas. Then she served it with thin slices of Hebrew National hot dogs instead of croutons. It had lots of flavor from the hot dogs and a ton of salt in the mixes seasoning packet.

It took a while to develop my own 100% from scratch “perfect split pea soup”. Ten tasters and several attempts and finally, just one version was the all-time winner. This is it. It is “thick as fog”, hearty, tummy-warming and simply delicious. It is vegetarian but I also am making some suggestions you may want to add in for yourself.

If you opt for a meaty addition like my friends Lisa and SiriusXM DJ Cousin Brucie Morrow (who gave me the “thick as fog” title), your extras will make it non-vegetarian. That’s not a bad thing. So enjoy my soup any way you like it!!!

INGREDIENTS

Water
Green Split Peas
Garlic
Carrots
Onion
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Celery
Kosher Salt
Ground White Pepper
Celery Seeds

with suggested extras

Croutons
Crispy Kosher Hotdog Slices
Ham
Ham Hock
Crumbled Crispy Bacon
Dill

Gazpacho

(Available in Spring/Summer only)

Okay, like so many of us, I weigh far more than I ought to. In an effort to lose weight I tried a diet that introduced me to a version of this delicious, fresh, cold gluten-free vegetable soup. I made it my own by changing the type of fresh tomato and bell pepper called for in the original. The assumption is that Gazpacho means spicy soup … but that’s not the case. What it is is fresh, flavor-packed, a little crunchy and so satisfying.

ingredients

Celery
Persian Cucumbers
Garlic
Flat Leaf Parsley
Black Pepper
Red Bell Peppers
Grape and Cherry Tomatoes
Kosher Salt
Scallions
V-8 Juice
White Wine Vinegar
Worcestershire Sauce