In the kitchen: Kosher for Passover chicken with dumplings

"Matzoh balls are most likely served on every Jewish table during Passover, not to mention every serious dinner yearround. It occurred to me the other day that it is in fact a sort of dumpling so why not combine it with a favorite classic American dish. Feel free to spice the matzoh balls with your favorite spice or add any herbs you like." – Lior Lev Sercarz, Chef & Owner at La Boite, a biscuit and spice shop in New York, and Chief Culinary Officer & Co-Founder of the Galilee Culinary Institute by Jewish National Fund-USA

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE MATZOH DUMPLINGS
· 1 1/4 cups matzoh meal (do not use a premade mix)
· 2 tbs olive oil
· 2 tsp salt
· 2 eggs
· 1 cup boiling water
· 1 tbs Coquelicot N24 spice or poppyseeds
· 1 tbs chopped fresh dill
· 1 tbs chopped fresh parsley
· 1 tbs chopped fresh cilantro

FOR THE SOUP
· 3 chicken legs
· 2 carrots, washed and cut in 1/2 inch slices
· 1 onion, peeled and diced
· 2 celery stalks, washed and cut in 1/2-inch slices
· 1/2 cup diced leeks, green and white parts
· 1 limon omani
· 2 tbs Chios N27 spice or 1 tbs dry dill and 1 tbs dry mint
· Salt
· Olive oil

TO SERVE
· 4 sprigs of fresh dill, washed and leaves removed
· 4 sprigs of parsley, washed and leaves removed
· 4 sprigs of cilantro, washed and leaves removed
· 1/3 cup chopped scallions
· Fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

FOR THE SOUP
Fill a pot with 4 quarts of cold water. Add the chicken, carrots, onion, celery, leeks, limon omani, Chios spice and a few pinches of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 35 minutes. Remove the chicken and vegetables from the pot and set aside to cool. Continue cooking the soup over low heat. Once the chicken has cooled down a bit remove the skin and bones and pull the meat apart. Return the bones and skin to the pot and cook for another 25 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove all the bones and skin and then continue simmering.

FOR THE MATZOH DUMPLINGS
Place the matzoh meal, salt and Coquelicot spice in a bowl and mix. Add the chopped herbs and mix again. Whisk the olive oil into the boiling water and add to the matzoh mix. Using a rubber spatula mix everything and set aside for 5 minutes. It will be very chunky, no worries. Whisk the 2 eggs and add them to the matzoh, then mix with your hands to obtain a sort of sticky dough. Shape small balls from the dough. The balls should be about 1-inch in diameter, and you should get about 40 of them. Cook the matzoh dumplings in the simmering broth for about 10 minutes and then remove them and set aside.

TO SERVE
Add the cooked vegetables, chicken meat and dumplings to the soup and season to taste with salt if needed and a drizzle of olive oil. Divide the soup between 6 to 8 bowls and garnish with the dill, cilantro and parsley leaves, Sprinkle some of the chopped scallions on top and drizzle with lemon juice.

ENJOY!

This recipe is brought to you by Lior Lev Sercarz, chef and owner at La Boite, a biscuit and spice shop in New York, and Chief Culinary Officer and Co-Founder of the Galilee Culinary Institute by Jewish National Fund-USA. Set to open in 2022, GCI by JNF-USA will be a one-of-a-kind culinary institution that combines culinary and restaurant expertise, tourism, and entrepreneurship, and will bring jobs and vitality to the northern region of Israel. Learn more at galileeculinaryinstitute.com.