Category Archives: Soup

Shiksa-Style Matzo Ball Soup

25 Monday Apr 2016

Posted by in Dinner, Healthy, Holiday, Soup

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Shiksa Style Matzoh Ball Soup

My husband, who is Jewish, loves his mom’s matzo ball soup.  I’ve learned to never try and replicate someone’s childhood favorites (that’s a recipe for disappointment!), but instead to create my own, delicious version.  I started with what I knew…a chicken soup base…and did my best to make light and airy matzo balls.  After a few tries that resulted in dense, doughy balls, I arrived at this recipe which uses seltzer to keep the batter lighter.  Much to the joy and delight of my husband, making this soup has become somewhat of a Passover tradition for us (really the only Passover tradition we observe!).  I’ve affectionately named this recipe “Shiksa-Style Matzo Ball Soup” since it’s my take on the classic.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!  Happy Passover!

Shiksa-Style Matzo Ball Soup
Yield:  6 servings
Time:  30 minutes prep, 60 minutes total (plus chilling)

For the matzo balls:
3 eggs, beaten
¼ cup canola oil
½ cup seltzer (unflavored)
1½ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. freshly minced parsley
2 tbsp. freshly minced dill
7/8 cup matzo meal

For the soup:
5 carrots, sliced into ½-inch thick “coins”
6 celery stalks, diced
2 large yellow or white onions, diced
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
1 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped (reserve ¼ cup for garnish)
¾ cup fresh dill, coarsely chopped (reserve ¼ cup for garnish)
8-10 cups chicken stock

  1. Prepare the matzo balls:  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, seltzer, and salt.  Stir in the parsley, dill, and matzoh meal.  Mix until fully combined.  Refrigerate for 2+ hours (overnight is fine) until the batter is firm and easier to handle.
  2. Place the carrots, celery, onions, shallot, garlic, and black pepper in a medium stockpot.  Pour in about 2 tbsp. of the chicken stock and cook over medium heat until the vegetables soften, about 8 minutes.  Add the rest of the chicken stock and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
  3. Meanwhile, form 1-inch or 1½-inch balls from the matzo dough.  Once all of the balls are formed, slide the matzo balls into the simmer stock using a large spoon.  Add the parsley and dill (reserving a bit for garnish), and cover.  Continue simmering over medium heat for about 25 minutes, until the matzo balls are fully cooked.  (To test if the matzo balls are done, remove one ball from the broth and slice it in half.  If the center is dark in color, it needs to be cooked longer.  They should be light throughout when fully cooked.)
  4. Garnish with reserved fresh parsley and dill.

PDF to Print Recipe for Shiksa-Style Matzo Ball Soup

Kale, Tortellini and White Bean Soup

11 Wednesday Mar 2015

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Kale Tortellini and White Bean Soup

You know the saying about March:  it comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.  I say this phrase to myself dozens of times in the first half of March each year, reminding myself that soon enough the cold, raw, slushy days of winter will soon be behind us, and that bright blue skies, warm sunshine, and colorful flowers are just around the corner!  This healthy, filling, and soul-satisfying soup is just the thing to help us say a final farewell to a long, cold, and snowy winter as we prepare for a beautiful spring ahead!

Kale, Tortellini and White Bean Soup
Yield: 8 servings
Time: 20 minutes active;  45 minutes total

1 to 1½ lbs. raw turkey sausage links (sweet or spicy)
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
6 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
6 oz. can tomato paste
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. dried basil
½ tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
4 cups chicken stock
2 cans (each 14.5 oz.) sliced stewed tomatoes (no sodium added)
14 oz. frozen cheese tortellini
2 cans (each 14.5 oz.) cannellini or other white beans
4 cups raw kale
½ cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese

1.  Cut the turkey sausage links into bite-sized pieces.  Place in a medium-sized sauté pan and cook over medium heat until cooked through until browned, about 8 minutes.

2.  Combine the olive oil, onions, and celery in a large pot or Dutch oven.  Sauté over medium heat until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the tomato paste, and cook for another minute.  Add the spices (smoked paprika, basil, oregano, salt and pepper).  Cook for another minute, stirring frequently.

3.  Pour in the chicken stock and stewed tomatoes.  Raise heat to high and bring to a boil.  Add the frozen tortellini and boil for 3 minutes.

4.  Stir in the beans and kale.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Garnish with parsley and cheese before serving.

PDF to Print Recipe for Kale Tortellini and White Bean Soup

Favorite Chili

19 Thursday Feb 2015

Posted by in Dinner, Healthy, Soup

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Favorite Chili

Is there anything cozier than curling up with a big bowl of steamy chili on a cold night?  With this arctic chill that’s moved in, we need recipes like these to keep our bones warm!  You’ll especially love it because you can prep everything the night before, and just toss the ingredients into your crock pot before heading off to work in the morning.  Dinner will be ready and waiting to greet you when you come home… worn out, cold, and hungry!

Like any great chili recipe, this one has evolved over the years.  My mom made an incredible vegetarian chili chock full of beans and edamame when I was growing up.  It was always one of my favorite dinners, and the base of this recipe comes from her.  My husband’s chili is comprised almost entirely of meat (various cuts of pork and beef) with some onions and garlic, and his signature splash of cognac.  I’ve adopted his use of cognac, and I include ground turkey to give this chili a heartier quality.  I hope you take this recipe and morph it into your own creation over time, adding in and removing ingredients to your liking, to make your “Favorite Chili”!

Favorite Chili
Yield:  8 dinner servings
Time:  20 minutes active; 2-8 hours total (in crock pot)

For the chili:
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 red bell peppers, coarsely chopped
3 white onions, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
28 oz. crushed tomatoes
30 oz. sliced stewed tomatoes (no salt added, preferably)
30 oz. dark red kidney beans
30 oz. pink beans
15 oz. small red beans
15 oz. small white beans
6 oz. tomato paste
28 oz. tomato sauce
4 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. smoked paprika (or paprika)
¼ tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp. cumin
3 tbsp. cognac
4 links chicken and/or turkey sausage (photo at end)
1½ lbs. ground turkey
14 oz. frozen shelled edamame, thawed

For serving/garnish (if desired):
4 to 8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
2 large bunches scallions and/or chives, chopped
½ red onion, finely diced
sour cream

1.  Place the garlic, peppers, onions, and 1 tbsp. olive oil in a sauté pan.  Cook over medium heat until softened, about 5-8 minutes.  Transfer to a crock pot.

2.  Place the remaining 1 tbsp. olive oil and the ground turkey into the sauté pan.  Cook over medium heat until fully cooked, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes total.  Transfer to the crock pot.

3.  Meanwhile, chop the sausages into bite-sized pieces.  Add to the crock pot.

4.  Add all of the remaining ingredients except for the edamame to the crock pot.  Mix well, then set on high and leave for 2-4 hours.  (Or you could set the crock pot to cook on the low setting and leave it for 8 hours.)

5.  About 30 minutes to one hour prior to serving, toss the edamame in and stir.  (I find that if I add them too early they get a bit mushy.  I prefer if they’re a little crunchy.)

6.  Transfer to serving bowls and top with any garnishes you like.  Enjoy!

PDF to Print Recipe for Favorite Chili

Here’s a photo of the Applegate Fire Roasted Red Pepper Chicken and Turkey Sausages that I love using in this recipe:

Favorite ChiliFavorite Chili

Curried Carrot Soup

20 Tuesday Jan 2015

Posted by in Appetizers, Dinner, Healthy, Quick and Easy, Soup, Vegetarian

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Curried Carrot Soup

What’s better than a bowl of creamy, hot soup on a cold winter night?  How about one that doesn’t contain a drop of cream, packs a ton of flavor, is under 200 calories per serving and will fill you up?  Now we’re talking!

Curried Carrot Soup
Yield:  8 servings
Time:  20 minutes hands-on;  45 minutes total

3 tbsp. butter, cut into 1 tbsp. pieces
2 onions, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
1½ tsp. salt
¾ tsp. ground pepper
8 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth if making vegetarian)
5 lbs. carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch thick slices
1 tbsp. lemon juice
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1.  Place the butter in a very large stock pot or Dutch oven (8-12 quart).  Melt over medium heat.  Once the butter begins to foam, add the onions and pepper.  Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, until onions and peppers begin to soften.  Stir in the curry, ginger, salt and pepper.  Cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2.  Add the carrots.  Pour in the broth.  Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil.  Once boiling for one minute, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover.  Simmer for 25 minutes until the carrots are tender.  Stir in lemon juice.

3.  Working in batches, transfer the soup to a blender, filling the blender no more than half full each time.  Puree until smooth.  (Be sure not to overfill the blender, as the hot soup will expand as it is blended.  Also, to allow steam to escape vent the lid and cover with a dish towel while blending.)

4.  Serve hot and garnish with chopped cilantro to serve.

PDF to Print Recipe for Curried Carrot Soup

Recipe adapted from Great Food Fast, Everyday Food from the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living

French Onion Soup

07 Tuesday Oct 2014

Posted by in Boozy, Dinner, Soup

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French Onion Soup

With the fall chill coming a little stronger every day, this hot and savory soup ought to warm you up in no time!

When slicing the onions for this recipe, slice them with the grain.  This means cutting them from pole to pole, as opposed to against the grain which would be parallel to the onion’s “equator”.  Slicing with the grain will allow the slices of onion to retain their shape better after sautéing, giving you the characteristic strips of sautéed onion in the finished soup, instead of mushy bits and pieces of onion floating throughout.  I read recently that cutting onions with the grain produces a more mellow onion flavor, whereas slicing onions against the grain brings out a stronger flavor, but don’t worry–this soup is chock full of savory onion-y flavor!


French Onion Soup
Servings:  8
Time:  2 hours

4 tbsp. butter
4 sweet onions, thinly sliced with the grain (pole to pole)
4 Spanish onions, thinly sliced with the grain (pole to pole)
1 tsp. salt
1½ tbsp. flour
1/3 cup cognac (I use Hennessey)
1/8 oz. (about 1½ tbsp.) chopped fresh thyme
3 whole bay leaves
½ tsp. freshly cracked pepper
1 tbsp. lemon juice
3 cans (each 10½ oz.) Campbell’s beef consommé
3 cans (each 10½ oz.) Campbell’s beef broth
¾ cup chicken broth
3 cups shredded Gruyère cheese
1 baguette, sliced into ½-inch thick slices

1.  Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over low heat.  Add the onions, and sprinkle them with salt.  Gently toss to coat then place a lid on the Dutch oven and allow to cook for 1½ hours over low heat, stirring every 20 or 30 minutes.

2.  (Preheat oven to 375°F.)  Sprinkle flour over the onions and toss to coat.  Add the thyme, bay leaves, fresh pepper, and lemon juice.  Gently stir.  Turn the heat up to medium and cook for another 2 minutes.

3.  Stir in the cognac, beef consommé, beef broth, and chicken broth.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Meanwhile, place the sliced of baguette on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Spray the tops of the bread with cooking spray and bake at 375°F for 5 minutes, until lightly toasted.

4.  (Set oven to broil.)  Ladle the soup into serving bowls.  Float two or three baguette slices in each bowl of soup (enough to cover the surface) and top with shredded Gruyère.  Place the bowls under the broiler until the cheese is bubbly and begins to turn golden brown, about 2 minutes.  Serve immediately.

PDF to Print Recipe for French Onion Soup