Star Wars Matzo Ball Soup

The Death Star. Sinker or floater? Celery TIE fighters, carrot rebel cruisers and assorted mushroom spacecraft from the Empire swirl around in the galactic chicken broth. An adventure in your mouth. Can you polish off the invincible Death Star? This is not your grandma's matzo ball soup.

May the schmaltz be with you.

Quick and easy... OK, not like grandma used to make but done with some modern conveniences. If you want traditional, you can go with old-world recipes.


Note: There are some serious soup Na gourmets here. Never argue with someone holding a knife. Hot soup is hot. Hot soup is good. Basic eating and cooking skills necessary. Proceed with caution.

I used a box of Matzo ball mix. Yeah, so sue me.
Watch the sodium depending on the brand you get.  You can also make from scratch and go with a crushed box of matzo crackers, eggs, and a pinch of salt

celery
carrots
onions,  Oy, I forgot to put the onions in.

olive oil
eggs

salt
pepper

Chicken broth
I prefer the low sodium kind, can be organic depending on the brand, you can use chicken bullion/base or veggie stock.
You can make your own by boiling the heck out a chicken for a few hours, skimming off the flotsam and jetsam as needed.

Fat
I am going to use a splash of olive oil.
Schmaltz or rendered chicken fat is the traditional ingredient. Go for it if you want to tinker with your cholesterol level.
I guess you could think about using bacon drippings. You would be a sinner or a saint, depending on who you serve it to.

Slice the mushrooms in thick slices.  Use just the center slices that resemble some kind of x-wing fighter.

Cut off small chunks of a celery rib. Cut a squared bottom V-shaped notch in both sides.  You may need to break  out the unused part if your knife is not pointy enough to get in there.  These are your TIE fighters.

Slice a long chunk of a carrot lengthwise into three strips.  Cut into various shapes that resemble other rebel spacecraft.

You can use the onion to create your Millenium Falcon or the Evil Empire Battle Cruiser.

Prep your matzo ball "dough".

The directions on the box called for two eggs, a splash of oil, and one packet of mix.

It says it should make 9-12 matzo balls.

I only got a pair.

Mix it all up gently and stick it in the fridge for about 20 minutes to set up.

In a pot, mix together one cup of prepared chicken broth and one cup of water.
You can vary how you make the soup base depending on how you like your sodium content.

Add any additional seasonings.

Toss in the veggies.

Bring to a boil and simmer away until the matzo balls are ready.

Take the matzo ball mix out of the fridge.

It should be some sticky mass that you can form.

Wet your hands or put some oil in your fingers to shape the matzo ball.

I used a spoon to divide it and roughly form into ball shape in the bowl.

Shape into two billard ball sized balls.

Place on a greased piece of tinfoil.

Grab a bottle of something from the fridge that has a top or cap to use to shape the indent of the Death  Star.

I used a steak sauce bottle.  Put a piece of plastic wrap over it.

Grease well or just dip it in a glass of water.

Make an impression in the Death Star.

Toast your balls in the toaster oven on high for a few minutes.

This is to set the shape of the indent.

After you peel the matzo balls off the tinfoil, you can gently pad them back into a more spherical shape.

Next, in a separate pot of boiling water,  I used my convenient rice cooker, cook the matzo balls for about 20 minutes.  You may have to flip them over once or twice so they cook through.

The matzo balls should expand in size.  They are ready when about doubled in size.

Cooking the matzo balls in a different pot prevents it from clouding up your nice clear soup broth.

Yeah, only attempt to eat one of these.  You might keel over if you try two.  Although, there is a matzo ball eating champ out there.

Place the Death Star in the center of a soup plate.  Add the broth and veggies.  Serve piping hot. 

Remember to hold your pinkie up when slurping your soup with that tiny silver spoon dipped gently away from you in the big bowl on the fancy saucer. It's classy.

Enjoy!