Another traditional dish I grew up with is matzo ball soup. Everyone loves a good steaming bowl of matzo bowl soup and variations are served all throughout the year. I thought I would combine both my Sephardic and Ashkenazi sides together and create this elegant Lemon Saffron Matzo Ball soup. If you’re not familiar with what that means, it basically means that my background is Jewish, but from different parts of the world. My mom’s side is Sephardic where her side is from Turkey and ancestors from Spain. Sephardic cuisine has a lot of Mediterranean flavors, such as lemons, olives, saffron, etc. On the other hand, my fathers side is Ashkenazi which means that my Jewish family on his side comes from Eastern Europe, such as Poland, Austria, Russia, etc. Ashkenazi Jewish food is probably more commonly recognized, such as matzo ball soup, brisket and latkes.
This gorgeous soup shares both sides of my Jewish heritage in 1 filling bowl of comfort. Deep dried lemons are added to chicken broth for a bright citrus flavor and floral saffron is added to the matzo balls. If you can’t find dried lemon (often found in Middle Eastern markets), use your vegetable peeler to make thick strips of lemon peel and add that to your broth!
Tip: Save time and buy pre-made chicken stock! You can make the matzo balls and have them ready as the broth is heating up.
Tip #2: Matzo ball soup is a perfect way to use leftover cooked chicken (or turkey).
Garnish with thin slices of lemon and fresh chopped parley.
Saffron Matzo Balls
3/4 cup matzo meal
2 eggs
2 Tb grapeseed oil (or any light flavored oil you have)
Pinch of cayenne
Pinch of saffron, ground up
1/4 tsp turmeric
Small handful of parsley, chopped
1/4 cup sparkling water
1 tsp lemon zest
Salt and pepper, to taste
Soup
8 cups chicken stock
4 dried lemons or thick strips of lemon peel from 2 lemons
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 cups, shredded cooked chicken
For entire recipe with homemade stock click here http://littleferrarokitchen.com/2014/04/lemon-saffron-matzo-ball-soup/