This recipe is inspired by my favorite soup, French onion, and matzo balls, which I’ve been eating my whole life. I always thought the flavorless matzo balls floating in my chicken soup needed some love. It turns out they’re a great blank canvas for adding whatever flavor you want. I decided to puree caramelized onions into the matzo balls, then stuff them with some pungent cheese. The result: fluffy matzo balls with a gooey surprise in the middle. So here’s a friendly reminder that a matzo ball is a dumpling that doesn’t require soup. Get creative and pan-sear any leftover matzo balls.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Yield: | 12 matzo balls |
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup dry sherry
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup seltzer
- 1/4 cup schmaltz (rendered chicken fat), at room temperature
- Kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups matzo meal
- 6 ounces Gruyere, cut into 12 cubes
- Your favorite chicken soup, for serving, optional
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and let sit, undisturbed, until they start to soften, about 20 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes, until the onions are browned and caramelized, about 1 hour more. Increase the heat to medium; add the sherry and cook, stirring, until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Remove to a plate, spread out the onions and let cool in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Transfer 1 cup of the cooled onions to a food processor and process until smooth. (Reserve any remaining onions for another use.) Scrape into a large bowl; add the eggs, seltzer, schmaltz, 1 teaspoon salt and use a fork to stir until combined. Add the matzo meal and continue to stir with the fork until completely incorporated and the mixture resembles a thick paste. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Meanwhile, wet your hands and divide the matzo ball mixture into 12 equal mounds and flatten each into a disk. Add 1 of the cheese cubes to the center of each and roll into a ball, completely enclosing the cheese.
- Add the matzo balls to the boiling water, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until almost double in size, light and fluffy, flipping halfway through, about 30 minutes total. Remove with a slotted spoon and add them to your favorite chicken soup.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 201 |
| Total Fat | 15 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 9 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 92 mg |
| Sodium | 220 mg |