Date Night Dinners - Stuffed What

4/10/2015 tringel 0 Comments

I took that tip to heart and I have since become the matzo ball maker in the family, or as my mom likes to call me, "the matzo ball queen" because I don't just make them during Passover. I make them all year round, for all meals. In high school I went through a phase where I would make a batch and then proceed to eat one or to matzo balls each day for breakfast. No soup, just the matzo balls. Some say thats like cereal with no milk or grilled cheese with no cheese, but to me, it was just glorious deliciousness. Embarrassing, right? Oh well, it can be our little secret.

Since then my matzo ball intake has slowed down, but I love them just as much. I anticipate the the days leading up to my family Passover Seder, when I can mix the matzo ball ingredients,  and roll them gently but quickly. When they are ready, I plop them into my dad's homemade chicken soup, and then eat 3 times more matzo balls then anyone else at the table. What can I say, I love matzo balls, and yes I would request for them for a last meal, along with sushi and tortellini. Now that's an interesting combo.

But back to balls, matzo balls. Passover is here, and my itch to buy and consume all of the matzo ball mix packages in Giant has tagged along for the ride. Like last year, my family is celebrating the holiday a little late. We are not very traditional, so it is great because it means more family and friends will be able to attend. It's not so great because it is an extra week until I get my matzo ball fix. Or so I thought.


Working at synagogue is pretty awesome, but it is also pretty limiting when it comes to what I can bring to lunch during Passover. The building keeps to the basic kosher rules which means nothing leavened can be eaten there during those 8 days. I could bring in salads, or chicken, or tuna accompanied with matzo like I have in the past, but this year I was feeling inspired.

As social media has grown, so have the possibilities of what I can make; I have been finding more and more Passover friendly recipes. I usually think the recipe is super creative, bookmark it and then never make it because I am worried that it is too complicated or it gets buried under a lot more recipes I have bookmarked and I simply forget about it. That was not the case when I found a recipe for stuffed matzo balls. I was intrigued, I was amazed, I was drooling. I had to make it, and right away!

For some strange reason, Brenden is not obsessed with matzo balls like I am. In fact, he finds them merely...okay. Craziness, I know; good thing he has ton of other great stuff going for him so I can overlook the matzo ball thing. Despite his absence of cravings for the matzo ball, I knew Brenden would be on board with this recipe because it was stuffed with meat. Delicious, seasoned meat. It would be kind of like a dumpling...okay maybe not, but I had to tell him something to get him on board because I wasn't telling him what we were actually making in fear he would turn it down. He went along with my mystery dinner, tasting the meat as it was seasoned and watching me stuff it into a secret "dough."

It wasn't until I got the stuffed matzo balls into the boiling water until I told him exactly what I was making. And, he didn't hate it. He was loving the meat mixture I had stuffed the matzo balls with and he was just as intrigued as I was at seeing how they would tun out. Things were good.


Out of the boiling water and into the oven the matzo balls went. I was so excited; they had stayed intact. The matzo balls came out of the oven, steamy and smelling amazing. They were perfectly golden brown with the sprinkling of cinnamon on top quickly reaching our noses. Brenden and I excitedly cut the matzo balls in half, releasing even more steam and allowing us to see that the picadillo meat mixture was still there and perfectly seasoned. It had not been watered down or fallen out during to the boiling process. The flavor was just as delicious as when we had tasted it pre-matzo ball stuffing. And the matzo balls were the perfect vessel to pair all the flavors with.

"Now this is a matzo ball I can eat and enjoy," Brenden concluded.

Baked Picadillo Stuffed Matzo Balls
Recipe adapted from carascravings.com, Picadillo Stuffed Matzoh Balls

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup scallions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 3/4 tsp dried oregano
• 3/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra for dusting
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup capers, finely chopped
• 2 Tbps tomato paste
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 packages Manischewitz matzo ball mix

Directions

1. Prepare the matzo mix as instructed on the package (usually, combine 2 eggs, 2 Tbsp vegetable oil and the matzo ball mix, per package).
2. Set in the refrigerator to rest for about 30 minutes.
3. In the meantime, cook the ground turkey over medium heat in a skillet.
4. Once the meet is fully cooked, drain and set aside.
5. In the same skillet, on medium heat, cook the onions, scallions and garlic until softened, about 3-4 minuted.
6. Add the chili powder, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper, cooking until fragrant, about one more minute.
7. Add the turkey back to the skillet, along with the raisins, capers, tomato paste, and water, combining all the ingredients thoroughly.
8. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 10 minutes, or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
9. Once the mixture has cooked and thicken, set aside until cool enough to handle, or until you decide to form your matzo balls (the meat can be stored for a few days before stuffing if desired).
10. Line a flat surface with plastic wrap, sprayed with cooking spray.
11. Spoon the matzo ball mixture into equal portions, leaving some extra in case of cracks in your matzo balls after stuffing (note: I got 13 fairly large matzo balls).
12. Wet your hands and flatten on portion of your matzo ball mix.
13. Spoon a small portion, about a teaspoon, of the picadillo (meat mixture), into the center of the matzo ball mixture.
14. Carefully wrap the matzo ball mixture around the meat mixture, rolling into a ball. Take a bit of the excess matzo ball mixture to cover and smooth cracks if necessary.
15. Set the stuffed matzo ball on the sprayed plastic wrap.
16. Repeat steps 12-15 until all of the stuffed matzo balls have been formed. You will most likely have excess picadillo, enjoy it on its own for another meal.
17. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
18. Place the stuffed matzo balls into the boiling water, cover and reduce to a simmer, cooking for about 25 minutes.
19. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
20. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and when the matzoh balls have boiled and expanded, remove them from the water with a slotted spoon and place them into the baking dish.
21. Once all of the matzoh balls are in the baking dish, spray them with cooking spray as well.
22. Sprinkle the tops of the matzo balls with cinnamon, as desired.
23. Place the matzo balls in the oven and bake for 17-20 minutes, or until they are lightly browned.
24. Once cooked, remove from the oven, serve and enjoy the wonderful mix of flavors.