Start with the soup!

1. In a bowl: Peel and medium chop 2 each of the turnips carrots parsnips and celery.
2. Cut 1 onion in half down the middle, leave the skin and everything just toss it in the bowl.
3. Cut the whole head of garlic across the middle like a bagel, leave skins and all just like the onion.
4. Throw a few sprigs of dill and parsley in there.
   • We're gonna save the rest of the veggies for later, you'll see whats up.
5. Remove skin from chicken and rinse/remove any fatty bits. This soup would normally be made with a kosher chicken which is salted. If you're not using a kosher chicken, generously salt the chicken on all sides and let it sit for a few mins.
6. In a large pot: Add all the veggies you've prepped and the chicken on top. Cover about an inch over the chicken with water. Bring to a boil then simmer. Check it occasionally while its simmering and skim the foamy stuff off the top.

WHILE ITS SIMMERING MAKE THE MATZAH BALL DOUGH!

1. Okay so like you're chillin w a solid hour to hang, grab a big mixing bowl! In the bowl, add the eggs, water, and oil. Whip them up with plenty of salt and pepper.
2. Mix in the matzah meal, a little at a time while stirring, to make sure you avoid clumps. The texture of the matzah ball dough should be like thick pancake mix. Just keep adding some extra water until its mostly drippy off the fork or whatever utensil you're using.
   • Remember to add a little extra salt and pepper whenever you add a lot of extra water.
3. Cover and put in the fridge for at least an hour before boiling.

BACK TO THE SOUP:

Okay so it's been about an hour and a half and your chicken should be fully cooked.

1. Take the chicken out and put on a tray or baking sheet or even a big plate, just put it all to the side to cool before shredding.
2. At this point the veggies have given all their nutrients and texture and color to the stock so they're not really ideal for eating. Scoop out as much as you can and throw them away.
3. Strain the stock through the colander into another pot or large bowl. You should be left with a beautiful (and concentrated) golden stock.

TAKE A BREAK OR SOMETHING, DRINK SOME WINE OR A NICE ICE COLD COCA-COLA, DEF SOME WATER AND MABE A LIL SNACK.

Okay so we back. It's almost dinner time, you hungry.

1. Shred the chicken and throw the bones away. Leave the shredded chicken to the side.
2. With the left over celery, parsnips, carrots, onions, honestly whatever veggies you have that you wanna eat in the soup, cut them all up nice into bite sized pieces.
3. Add all the fresh veggies and some extra sprigs of dill and parsley into the stock.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste
5. I like to leave the herbs on the stem, I eat them whole in the soup but it's your call if you'd rather cut them up.
6. The stock you made is (hopefully) very concentrated, we want to bring out more of the veggie vibe. Add water to the stock, about half as much as you made after you strained it (just eyeball it. If the stock goes up a third of the way of the pot, make it go a little above half.
   • If you want to be precise and you measured the amount of stock you made.... for every 2 cups of stock add one cup of water. The fresh veggies will impart a lot of flavor.).
7. Bring to a boil and LIGHTLY simmer on low while you finish the matzah balls.

FINISHING THE MATZAH BALLS & THE SOUP

The dough at this point should be a bit thicker than it was and quite sticky. If it's too runny just add a bit more matzah meal.

1. Put a medium sized pot of water (fill about 2/3rds the way up) to boil on the stove. Add some oil to the water and a little extra salt.
2. Once it's boiling, WITH WET HANDS, scoop, ball, and drop the matzah balls in the water. They should be about twice the size of a ping-pong ball. Boil for 20 minutes.
   • They like to float around so use a wooden spoon to gently push them down.

This soup stays very well in the fridge for several days and so does the matzah ball dough! Make them fresh! Basically what I'm saying is, make as many as you plan on eating (maybe a few extra cuz they're fire) and put the rest of the dough in a container in the fridge. I suggest 2 matzah balls per bowl/serving.

• Once the 20 mins is up, strain the matzah balls like you would pasta. 5 mins before you serve put all the chicken back into the soup, just to heat it up.

SERVE!

In a big ol' bowl. Unless you're feeding an army of hungry jewish grandchildren (me) you'll probably have a bunch left. Refrigerate or freeze the soup! The matzah balls are also not bad if you have some left, I would reheat them in the soup the next day so they don't get dry. Best thing is if you make the leftovers again, boil some fresh matzah balls. The dough is good in the fridge for probably 4 days at most. The soup in the fridge is good for like 5ish days?

"Frozen it's probably good for a few months but don't quote me on that."