Passover: Matzo Balls

Thanks to Nava Atlas we will be having matzo balls this year!   I did right by my great grandmother Rae, my grandmothers Joan and Shirley, my Aunt Tami, and my Mom.  They taste just like the matzo balls at all of our seders my whole life!

I have been working on this the last few weeks.  I tried all of the egg replacers that I know of with varying results: flax (did not cook through), baking soda and vinegar (dissolved upon hitting the water) and potato starch (too mushy…but my husband and son ate them anyway.)

The brilliance of this recipe is that you don’t boil the matzo balls…you bake them!  This way they stay intact.  The quinoa holds the mix together (and adds protein!)

Here is Nava’s recipe which I followed exactly.
Makes: About 24

1 cup quinoa flakes
2 cups boiling water
One box (2 packets) Streit’s* or Maneschewitz Matzo Ball Mix
1/4 cup light vegetable oil (like safflower)

* My mother uses Streit’s so I use Streit’s.

In a large mixing bowl, cover the quinoa flakes with the water. Let stand for 2 or 3 minutes.

Stir in both packets of matzo meal mix along with the oil, and mix until well blended. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.  (I let them sit for 45 minutes.)

Just before baking, preheat the oven to 275º F.

Roll the matzo meal mixture into approximately 1-inch balls; don’t pack them too firmly. Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, carefully turning the matzo balls after 10 minutes, until firm to the touch; don’t let them brown.

If making ahead of time, let the matzo balls cool completely, then cover until needed. Warm them briefly in a medium oven and distribute them among the soup bowls, allowing 3 or 4 matzo balls per serving.