September is for mourning the end of tomato season (ANY DAY NOW, Y’ALL), begrudgingly welcoming all them fancy (and seemingly endless) gourds, and planning for Rosh Hashanah. I find myself torn between these matzah balls, where sugary brown bits of cabbage get added in, or my festive Puerto Rican recipe for sancocho matzo ball soup. I suppose it depends how many people I’m feeding this year. This one might make my life a bit easier (less costly, too!)
This was originally shared on The Nosher last Passover, with the recipe for my chicken soup included should you need to check that out as well. Now I get to share it here right in time for the holidays and cooler days. Ladle these darlings into any brothy soup you might be making soon.
Caramelized Cabbage Matzah Balls
Ingredients
for caramelizing cabbage
- 1 1/2 cup green cabbage chopped
- 3 tbsp schmaltz or vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- couple of pinches of sugar optional
for the matzah balls
- 3/4 cup matzo meal
- 3 egg whites from large eggs, whisked til light and fluffy
- 3 yolks from large eggs
- 1 tbsp grated sweet onion
- caramelized cabbage with schmaltz (or oil)
- 3 tbsp broth from soup cooled down
- 1 heaping tbsp chopped fresh herbs dill, cilantro, parsley
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
for the cabbage
- In a small pan under low heat, melt your schmaltz then add the chopped cabbage. Stir every 8-10 minutes (be careful to not interrupt the browning process by moving the cabbage around a lot) until the mix turns a deep brown, about 45 minutes. While you begin with 3 tbsp schmaltz, it reduces to about 1 ½ tbsp. Set aside.
for the matzah balls
- In a medium bowl, beat your egg yolks, grated onion, cabbage with schmaltz, broth, herbs and salt together. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites and matzo meal til fully incorporated. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil, stir in 1 teaspoon of salt.
- With wet hands, form walnut-sized balls and drop them into the pot. Cover and boil for about 50 minutes.
- Ladle them into your favorite soup. Enjoy!
