Sylvia Fisher’s Passover Matzo Ball Soup
Submitted by Suzi Fields
Main Ingredient: Love
In this post, Suzi Fields recounts how one recipe, her mother’s Passover Matzo Ball Soup, has connected multiple generations of her family. Although her mother, Sylvia Fisher, did not keep kosher, her grandmother did, and Sylvia was raised to prepare foods according to Jewish tradition, including on holidays, festivals and the Sabbath. After spending their careers in Detroit, Michigan, Sylvia and her husband, George, retired to Spartanburg in 1982 to be near Suzi, her son-in-law, Dr. Sander Fields, and grandchildren.
Our, son, Andy, at the age of twelve in 1983, nominated my mother, Sylvia Fisher, to be The Spartanburg Herald Journal’s, “Cook of the Month.” He wrote that his grandmother was the best cook in the whole world and that she was an expert on making traditional Jewish food. One of his favorite dishes was a combination of her chicken and matzo ball soup. He said the main ingredient that goes into all of her recipes is an enormous amount of love!'
…and on Sylvia’s great-grandson keeping the family tradition alive:
Unbelievable as it may seem, her great-grandson, Parker Jordan Fields, at the age of ten, entered my mother’s chicken and matzo ball soup recipe in “The Healthy Comfort Food Contest” at Polo Road Elementary School in Columbia. Low and behold, he won first place, which entitled him to participate in the Richland County School District 2 school-wide contest on March 16th, 2017
Parker Fields. Image courtesy Suzi Fields
Sander and Suzi Fields with their grandson, Parker. Image courtesy Suzi Fields
Parker Fields. Image courtesy Suzi Fields
Chicken Soup
4 or 5 chicken breasts, or small chicken
1 large onion
5 carrots, sliced
½ green pepper
4 sticks celery
1 chicken bouillon cube
Salt and pepper to taste
Boil water, add chicken, add vegetables. Cook about 1 hour. To serve clear, remove chicken and vegetables, or serve with carrots.
Matzo Balls
2 tablespoons chicken fat or oil
2 eggs, slightly beaten
½ cup Matzo meal
½ teaspoon salt, if desired
2 tablespoons soup stock or water
Mix fat and eggs together. Combine Matzo meal and salt; add to egg mixture. When well blended, add soup stock or water. Cover mixing bowl and place in refrigeration for at least 20 minutes. When chilled, form into balls.
Using a 2 or 3 quart pot, bring salted water to a brisk boil. Reduce flame and drop balls into slightly bubbling water. Cover pot and cook 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from pot and put balls into chicken soup pot.