Happy Passover: Two Secrets to Fluffy Matzoh Balls

Our Seder is quite relaxed.    My husband, having married a non-Jewish woman (my good self), is pretty low key about his faith, so his holidays are more about family getting together for a festive meal than strict religious teachings.  And food is really my religion so it works well.

With Passover on the near horizon, I am busy planning the menu, which always features matzoh ball soup.  This dovetails well with our feature on eggs, because one of the secrets, shared with me by my husband's beloved, late Aunt Sarah, a famously great cook and hostess, involves eggs.  Drum roll, please:  Separate them.

When you prepare the matzoh balls, use whatever recipe you like, but separate the yolks from the whites and whip the whites to a light, frothy near-meringue.  Then gently fold them into the remaining mixture and proceed with the process as planned.

The other secret Aunt Sarah taught me was to use seltzer.  Many recipes call for water or chicken stock.  Ignore them.  These result in leaden balls that seem more appropriate to bouncing off pavement than eating. 

So when we sit down to our feast this weekend, and my spoon cleaves through the soft, fluffy matzoh ball like a hot knife through butter, I'll tip my toque to Aunt Sarah in thanks for sharing her secrets, even with a shiksa.

Happy Passover!