Cajun Matzo Balls

Recipe:

Cajun Matzo Balls

INGREDIENTS:

2 Eggs Cajun Seasoning Matzo Meal Chicken soup

INSTRUCTIONS:

This quintessence of Multi-Cultural cooking came to me suddenly one day after the good folks at Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasonings in Louisiana sent me a bunch of their stuff to play around with. They have 3 fantastic Cajun seasonings which add wonderful flavor and heat to your recipes: Regular, HOT and one based on White Pepper. After putting their stuff on just about everything I ate, it occurred to me to try something different. So while screening The Ten Commandments DVD for the umpteenth time I thought: “Why are these matzo balls different from all other matzo balls?” Heat! Cajun Heat! So I took my favorite matzo ball recipe (it is also the easiest) and tossed in some of the real hot version of Slap Ya Mama. Many modern matzo ball recipes have an abundance of ingredients in them, designed to yield a fluffy end product. As a traditionalist (okay, I’ve only been eating matzo balls for about a year but I still consider myself a maven) I like my kneidlach on the dense side. However you like your matzo balls, this Cajun twist will work with any formula. CHEAPASS NOTE: Matzo meal begins to appear in supermarkets around this time of year (Springtime). As you will note, being a veteran cheapass shopper, matzo meal is vastly overpriced. Don’t let that discourage you. Almost immediately after Passover, the stuff gets seriously marked down for clearance. That’s when you swoop in to buy several boxes. I use matzo meal all year round as a substitute for breadcrumbs because all the commercial breadcrumbs contain artery-clogging transfats. I use matzo meal to coat fried eggplant and zucchini, fried oysters, Cajun popcorn chicken, Chicken Parmesan; in almost every recipe that calls for breadcrumbs. Here’s how to make my Cajun Matzo Balls: Set a big pot of water to boil. While waiting, separate 2 eggs. Beat the whites till stiff. Now beat the yolks a bit. Combine till of a uniform consistency. Pour in a half-cup of matzo meal, which you bought last year for just pennies on the dollar. Now sprinkle in Hot Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning (or any other brand – you can also find clone recipes for famous seasonings on the internets…). How much seasoning? I shake in the powder till I think its enough then I add a good chunk more. The matzo balls will boil for half an hour, which will leech out some of the flavor so don’t worry about going too far. Let the mixture sit a few minutes to thicken. When the water comes to a boil, add some sea salt. Scoop out the now thickened matzo ball mixture a heaping teaspoon at a time, roll it in you palms to make small balls, not too tightly squeezed. Make them smaller than looks right because they will expand during cooking. Drop these in the water as you make them. You should get about 14 balls unless you want them bigger or smaller. Next – can you guess? – boil them in the salted water for 30 minutes, stirring now and then to cover evenly. Drain, then serve in a clear chicken broth, preferably homemade. To be real cheapass about it, make the soup from chicken necks and backs, which a butcher will have on hand for very little money. That’s all there is to it. Matzo Ball Soup does not get any better… Unless you add my homemade hot sauce to it…

COST:

Pennies

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