Chicken soup with matzo balls Recipe

Method

1. Put the whole chicken into a large lidded saucepan or pot and cover with 4 litres cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 25-30 mins. Skim any froth off the top.
2. Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and bay leaves. Season well and simmer for 45 mins to 1 hr. Continue to skim off any froth.
3. Meanwhile, make the matzo dumplings. Put the matzo meal into a bowl and mix in the eggs, 75ml boiling water, the vegetable oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well until combined. Cover and chill the mixture for 1 hr. Then take small amounts of mixture (about 1tsp) and roll into balls.
4. Once the soup has finished cooking, remove from the heat, take out the whole chicken and place on a plate.
5. Put the pan back on the heat, add the matzo dumplings, put the lid on and simmer for 10 mins. Add the spaghetti and simmer again for a further 10 mins or until the pasta is cooked.
6. While the soup is finishing cooking and the chicken is cooled enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones. Add the chicken to the soup and stir well. Ladle into bowls and scatter over the parsley and chopped dill.