Andy Carvin's Waste of Bandwidth

Ever wondered how to make matzah balls? Want to become a king (or queen) of kneidlach? Just in time for Hanukkah 2008, here's a chance to watch me in action, demonstrating how to prepare my grandmother's matzah ball recipe. It's a very simple recipe, including four eggs, a cup of matzah meal, a tablespoon of either chicken fat (schmaltz) or vegetable oil, and salt and pepper. Normally I use vegetable oil and an electric whisk to whip up the batter, but for this video I decided to stick with old-school methods, including the schmaltz and a hand whisk.

Technically, these matzah balls are considered "floaters" (as opposed to "sinkers") but they're still pretty dense. If you want to lighten them even more, add another tablespoon of oil or schmaltz, plus a tablespoon or two of chicken stock, to the batter before incorporating the matzah meal. If you like sinkers, add a quarter cup of extra matzah meal and then refrigerate for 30-60 minutes. I should also note that the recipe I make is very peppery, so if your don't want a strong pepper taste to your kneidlach, then cut back on the pepper to half a teaspoon or less. Either way, it's always a good idea to start slowly with the seasonings, then test a dollop of the batter in the simmering broth, so you can taste the results before making an entire batch of kneidlach and regretting it. Lastly, you can also add diced celery to the chicken stock prior to cooking the matzah balls, but for whatever reason I neglected to do that this time around.

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! -andy