Matzah balls are one of the most iconic foods of modern American Jewish cuisine—and that’s of course how they became part of the title of my cookbook, Meatballs and Matzah Balls. So believe me when I say that I don’t mess with them lightly. But although I love them in their classic form in a bowl of chicken broth, their relatively simple flavor has enticed me to create other iterations. Cookbook readers know I have a signature recipe of meatball-stuffed matzah balls. But after finding recipes for Italian savory deep-fried stuffed dumplings and discovering in Joan Nathan’s Jewish Cooking in America that deep-frying seems to have been a common way of cooking dumplings (including matzah balls) in the nineteenth century, I started thinking that filled, crunchy, deep-fried matzah balls seemed too good not to try to engineer. And so the creative work began.
I’m delighted with the result—my newest original recipe, Mushroom-Stuffed Matzah Ball Fritters, which you can find on the Jewish Food Experience Web site as part of JFE’s Passover Recipe Round-Up.
Before you jump over, though, here’s a sneak peek at some of the steps:
Saute mushrooms, garlic, and parsley (and add a little tomato paste) for the savory filling.
Make a thick matzah dough and enclose the filling.
Roll into a tight ball, roll in beaten egg, and then coat in matzah meal (this ensures they stay together during frying and emerge with a crunchy coating).
Fry in hot oil.
Serve and enjoy (the fun part!).
3 Comments
Lois · March 21, 2018 at 12:31 pm
Can they be baked and maybe sprayed with something like olive oil?
Marcia · March 21, 2018 at 3:06 pm
Hi, thanks for your question. To be honest, I haven’t tried that, so I can’t say how it will affect the texture. If I have a chance to test some matzah mixture this way in the next couple of days, I’ll post an update. And if you decide to try it, please let me know how it works.
Marcia · March 22, 2018 at 8:57 am
Following up—I tested this method using a slightly different matzah batter that I was making for something else (I did not have a mushroom filling, either). I skipped dipping the matzah balls in egg. I rolled them in matzah meal, sprayed liberally with olive oil, and baked on a lined baking sheet at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, turning once. They cooked through and the coating crisped up a bit. Even though it was not the exact fritter recipe, the results suggest an oven method would work if you want to to try it. You might need to adjust the timing and test a few to make sure the filling in the middle gets hot. I hope this helps, and good luck!