I still remember when my grandmother gave me her recipe for matzo ball soup. She told me that her mother had given her the recipe and it was time for me to carry on the tradition. Needless to say, I was raised on matzo ball soup and when I sit at my kitchen table and eat it today, I still feel as though my feet don’t quite reach the floor.

This soup makes a great meal by itself, but I prefer it with a crusty white bread and wilted spinach. For an interesting variation on this meal, grill a piece of bread for each person you will be serving and place one piece in the bottom of each soup bowl. Ladle the soup over the bread and then drop a small handful of fresh baby spinach leaves over the top of the soup.

About the ingredients:

Making vegetable stock yourself is great, but it’s much easier to use bouillon cubes to make a soup base and the bouillon cubes available at most supermarkets are quite good. I prefer Knorr vegetable bouillon, but their chicken bouillon is a good substitute for the hard to find vegetable. As noted last week, fresh marjoram and thyme will greatly improve the taste, but this recipe assumes you are using the dried herbs. If you do decide to use fresh herbs, just double the amount called for in the recipe.

I’ve never been to a supermarket that doesn’t have matzo meal. Usually, you can find it in the international section or by the soups. If you have trouble finding it, just ask. Your soup will be best with fresh, bright colored vegetables and it is best to buy your produce on the day you plan to cook your meal. Spinach in particular is best when fresh, and the baby spinach is much sweeter and more tender than the standard bagged spinach. Make sure you don’t over cook the spinach. It should be wilted but still almost have a crunch to it. One of the most satisfying things about fresh wilted spinach is the texture and too much cooking will ruin the spinach very quickly.

There are literally hundreds of different types of bread out there. The best bread I’ve found in the Boston area comes from Clear Flour bakery in Brookline. They deliver bread to a variety of shops in the greater Boston area, so if you come across their bread, definitely buy some. A close second and more widely available is Iggy’s bread, baked in Cambridge. This bread is available at most Star Market and Bread & Circus supermarkets throughout the city. Also surprisingly good is Pain au Levain made by Stop & Shop bakeries and available at all of their supermarkets. Of course if you have a local bakery that makes crusty artisan bread, that is most likely your best bet.

This Week’s Recipes

Matzo Ball Soup

2 qts. Vegetable Stock1/2 t. Thyme1/2 t. Marjoram1 Bay Leaf1 C. Matzo Meal1 t. Kosher Salt4 Eggs, slightly beaten2 T. Olive Oil2 T. Water2 Large Carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped2 Celery Stalks, coarsely chopped

1 Loaf Crusty White Bread, sliced

Bring your vegetable stock, marjoram, thyme and bay leaf to a boil, preparing the matzo mixture while you are waiting. In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together the matzo meal and salt. Add the eggs and olive oil to the matzo meal and mix thoroughly. Add the water and mix again. Cover the matzo mixture and let stand for 15 minutes. Wet your hands to keep the mixture from sticking and form 2-inch balls, dropping each into the boiling soup stock as they are formed. When all of the matzo balls are made, stir the soup gently with a wooden spoon to dislodge any matzo balls that have stuck to the bottom. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. After simmering, add the carrots and celery to the soup and simmer, covered, for an additional 15 minutes. Serve immediately with the sliced bread.

Wilted Spinach

16 OZ. Baby Spinach, washed and drained1 T. Olive Oil1 t. Kosher salt

Bring to boil about an inch of water in a large pot. Add the spinach, stir and cover the pot. Allow the spinach to simmer for about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain the spinach. Toss the spinach with the olive oil and salt and serve immediately.