Roasted Parsnip Soup with Parsley-Dill Matzo Balls

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• This delicious soup makes a fantastic alternative to Chicken Soup for a Vegetarian, or just plain healthy Passover Seder. It is easily made ahead of time, and is a perfect opportunity to experiment with my recent practice of making "condensed" soup. Under this process, you use the minimum of stock or liquid while preparing a soup ahead of time, then thinning it as desired before serving. Why? Because it is just plain silly to take up twice the refrigerator or freezer space for the added liquid!

For the Matzah Balls, if you are not concerned about using meat, by all means use chicken fat, but margarine works fine, the matzo balls just come out somewhat heavier than the ones made with chicken fat (in other words, more sinkers than floaters).

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• Serves 8
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• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 big Bunch of Celery, sliced, leaves reserved
• 2 cups peeled parsnips cut in chunks
• 1 1/2 cups chopped green onions (scallions)
• 1 large garlic clove, chopped
• 1 large shallot
• 1 thin round of peeled fresh ginger
• 6 cups (or more) chicken stock, vegetable stock or water

• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery leaves

Preheat oven to 400

Peel and cut parsnips into chunks, put onto a rimmed baking sheet with celery slices, drizzle with olive oil, sea salt and pepper, and roast for about 30 minutes until soft but not brown.

Meanwhile while the parsnips are roasting, heat about 2 Tbs. olive oil In a large heavy pot, cook chopped green onions with garlic, ginger and shallot (can add some cleaned, sliced leeks if you have them) until soft, about 10 minutes.

Add the roasted parsnips and celery, and 6 cups of stock, and simmer uncovered until everything is very soft. Cool.

Using an immersion stick blender, regular blender, or food processor puree the soup in batches until smooth, adding celery leaves to taste.

At this point you will have a very thick concentrated soup. If you are going to serve it right away, return to the pot, and thin with more stock or water (or milk), add more salt and pepper if desired, and serve with dill-parsley Matzah Balls. If you are making it ahead, just cool and chill (or freeze) the concentrated soup, and thin it as desired before serving.

Can be made 2 days ahead. Chill until cold. Cover; keep chilled.

Serve with

 Dill Parsley Matza Balls

4 Eggs
4 Tablespoons Margarine or Chicken Fat
3/4 cup Matzah Meal
4 Tablespoons Chicken Soup or Seltzer
1 Tsp. Salt
White Pepper

2 Tbs. washed chopped fresh dill

2 Tbs. washed chopped fresh parsley

1 Tbs. grated fresh ginger root


Beat eggs slightly, stir in margarine or chicken fat, gradually add matzah meal.
Stir in the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.

Bring large pot of salted water to a REAL boil, then turn down the heat to medium-high.

Moisten hands with water, and shape walnut sized balls of the mixture gently, not compressing them too much.

Drop into the salted, boiling water.
Cover the pot tightly, reduce heat to slow simmer, and cook for 25 minutes. DO NOT REMOVE THE COVER OF THE POT while they are cooking.

hints/notes:
Never let the water boil too vigorously, or they will fall apart.
You can make these with olive oil, they won't taste as good, but you might live longer. Try making them half chicken fat and half olive oil and see what you think. 

Remove to a plate and cover closely with plastic wrap, or leave them in the water.
They can stay warm in the salted water for a couple of hours
They freeze well, or can stay tightly covered in fridge for 2-3 days.