Grumble - Chicken Soup

Just too late for Passover and the flu season, but at the request of half the Grumble staff members, here is the absolute true story of how your beloved MOTHER learned the sacred and true art of Making Chicken Soup:

When I was newly married and didn't know much, I called my Grandma and asked her. She gave me the following list of ingredients:

1 large soup chicken (capon or stewing hen) cut into eighths
2 carrots
2 stalks of celery and all the leaves from inside the bunch
2 parsley roots
1 large parsnip
a bunch of dill (fresh)
salt and pepper

I piled everything up on the counter and called her on the phone. "Okay," I said. "What do I do now?"
"Wash the chicken and put it in the pot."
"Done, now what?"
"Fill the pot with water until it covers the chicken."
"Okay, now what?"
"Pour salt in your hand until you have a pile about 1/2 inch high and throw it in the pot....then add some pepper." (I'd say maybe a tablespoon; you must taste and judge for yourself. )
"Yeah?"
"Now, take the celery. Pull off two stalks, split down the middle, then cut in thirds. Then, pull out all the leaves and the white part from the center and throw that into the pot." (The flavor is more intense in the white part.)
"All right, now what?"
"Scrape and clean the carrots, parsley root and parsnips. Split and cut into quarters, and throw into the pot."
(At this point we'd talk and gossip for a while, while I peeled and cut the stupid roots.)
"Now what?"
"Add the dill." (I don't know how much dill weed you could substitute if you can't find fresh.. but lots. You can't put too much dill in chicken soup.)
"Okay, I've put in the dill, what now?"
"Turn on the fire and call me back in two hours!" (Use a high flame until it boils, then lower the flame to low, cover and cook until the chicken falls apart when you try to lift it -- about two hours. I don't consider the soup done unless the meat falls off the bones...)

When it's done, fish out the chicken and veggies, then strain the soup. (If you like the chicken and veggies in the soup, put them back in when you are ready to serve.)

Then refrigerate or freeze the soup so all the fat rises to the surface and hardens. Remove all the fat. If it's hard, you can pick it up with a spoon. If it is not, lift off what you can, then blot the surface of the soup with several layers of paper towel to pick up the rest of the fat. SAVE THE FAT!

Anyhow, every time I made soup, I'd call my grandmother and we'd go through the same routine.

As for Matza balls, just follow the recipe on the matza meal box, but... here are my secrets to make the perfect matza ball.
First of all, when the recipe calls for shortening, use the fat from the chicken soup instead. Why?
1. More flavor.
2. The fat will harden when you refrigerate the batter, making smoother, rounder balls when you are ready to cook them.
Second of all, when the recipe calls for water, use chicken soup -- more flavor. Then the recipe tells you to place in the fridge for a while; make it a couple of hours. Let it get really firm.
When you are ready to start making the balls, add a couple of extra shakes of matza meal to get the batter really stiff. Start your water boiling in an enamel pot (the eggs will discolor a metal pot). When it is at a full boil, start forming the balls. Fill a soup bowl with water, and wet the palms of your hand thoroughly. Grab about a quarter size ball, and roll between your palms until smooth. (If the batter is sticky, add more matza meal.) Drop the ball into the boiling water, and stir to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom. Keep you palms wet, but not drippy. The recipe says to cook for 20 minutes, but I always cook them for 45, then let them sit in the water until it cools down. If you make them in advance, you can reheat them in the soup, but don't cook them in the soup because it will make the soup all cloudy.
And I'm told I am one of the great chicken soup makers...