Matzo Dumpling Soup

Ingredients:

Matzo balls

• 6 tablespoons chicken fat
• 3 tbsp finely chopped chives
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill
• 2 tbsp. seltzer water
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 and 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 cup unsalted matzo meal

Chicken broth

• 1 chicken weighing 1.3 kg.
• 1.3 kg chicken bones, including necks
• 2 large onions, cut into 4 pieces
• 3 carrots, cut into 5cm pieces.
• 3 stalks celery, cut into 5cm pieces.
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon white peppercorns
• 1 small bunch of parsley
• 10 fresh sprigs of thyme
• Water
• 2 jalapenos, roasted and halved
• Chopped fresh dill

Preparation:

1. Heat the chicken fat in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the chives and cook for 30 seconds. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, dill, seltzer water, sugar, salt, and black pepper until smooth. Add the matzo meal and chicken fat-green onion mixture and stir to combine.
3. Cover tightly and refrigerate the dough for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours to allow the flavors to meld and make the mixture easy to work with.
4. Matzo balls:
   
   Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Form the dough into 8 equal-sized balls, about 50 grams each, add them to the water, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the balls are very soft, about 1 hour 20 minutes.
5. Before serving, use a slotted spoon to transfer the balls to a saucepan with chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

6. Chicken broth

   
   Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and add enough cold water to cover the bones by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer, skimming off any foam every 15 minutes, for 3 hours. Strain the broth into a large bowl and discard the bones.
   
   Pour the broth into a large saucepan and simmer until reduced by half. Add the roasted jalapeño and simmer for another 10 minutes, then remove the pepper. Season with salt, pepper, and sprinkle with fresh dill.