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Surprise Matzo Ball Soup

Delicious any time of year, matzo ball soup is a traditional way to start the Passover Seder feast. Let the kids roll the dough into matzo balls and hide a piece of carrot inside each one.

Ingredients

MATZO BALLS
1 cup matzo meal
1 tsp. salt
Pinch of pepper
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 eggs
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into 24 1/2-inch chunks
2 quarts water

CHICKEN SOUP
Cheesecloth
1 3- to 4-lb. whole chicken
1 large yellow onion
1 bay leaf
4 cups chicken broth
Water
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces

Instructions

To make the matzo balls, combine the matzo meal, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add the 1/2 cup of water and oil. Beat the eggs into the dough and combine thoroughly. Cover the mixture and refrigerate for 1 hour. Scoop the dough by tablespoonfuls and roll it into 1-inch balls. Press a piece of carrot into the middle of each ball and re-roll, sealing it with dough so that none of the carrot sticks out.
Drop the balls into 2 quarts of boiling water, cover the pot tightly and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes. When done, lift the balls out of the water with a slotted spoon. Serve them in hot chicken soup (see recipe below). This recipe makes about 24 balls. TIP: If you're making these a day or two ahead, let them sit overnight in the soup.
For the soup, put a large square of cheesecloth and place the chicken in the center. Tie up the corners of the cheesecloth around the chicken, forming a chicken "tea bag." Peel the onion and cut a large "X" into the top. Tie up the onion and bay leaf in a square of cheesecloth as you did for the chicken. Place the chicken, onion, and bay leaf in a large soup pot and add the chicken broth. Add enough water to completely cover the chicken.
Add salt and pepper to taste and simmer for 40 minutes. Add the carrots and celery and simmer, uncovered, for an additional 20 minutes. Remove the chicken and the onion. Discard the onion and bay leaf. The chicken meat can be separated from the bones and served in the soup along with the matzo balls. Makes approximately 8 servings.
TIP: Make this soup a day ahead and remove chicken fat from the top the next day. If you're making it the same day you plan to eat it, skim off the fat about every half hour while it's simmering. Wrap the chicken in cheesecloth to make it easier to remove after cooking.