Ingredients

• 1  4- to 5-pound stewing chicken
• 2-1/2  quarts water
• 2  onions, cut up
• 1  leek, sliced
• 3  stalks celery, sliced
• 1  tablespoon salt
• 1/4  teaspoon pepper
• 2  carrots, sliced
• 2  parsnips, sliced
• 4  or 5 parsley sprigs
• 4  fresh dill heads or 1/4 teaspoon dried dillweed (optional)
• 1  recipe Matzo Balls

Directions

1. Place chicken in an 8- to 10-quart pot. Add water, onions, leek, celery, salt, and pepper. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 1-1/2 hours or until chicken is almost tender. Add carrots and parsnips; simmer, covered, 30 minutes more or until chicken and vegetables are tender.

2. Remove chicken; refrigerate meat for another use. Lift vegetables from broth with slotted spoon. Strain broth. Return vegetables to strained broth. Add parsley and dill, if desired. Heat through. Skim fat. Serve in bowls with Matzo Balls. Makes 12 side-dish servings.

Matzo Balls: In a mixing bowl combine 1 cup matzo meal, 1 teaspoon salt, and dash pepper. Beat in 4 slightly beaten eggs and 1/4 cup chicken fat (schmaltz) until well blended. Stir in 1/4 cup carbonated water. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. With wet hands, shape dough into 1-inch balls. Carefully drop dough into a large pot of gently boiling salted water. Cover; simmer 30 minutes or until Matzo Balls test done (they should be light and cooked all the way through). Do not uncover pot until end of cooking. Remove carefully with slotted spoon. Serve in hot Chicken Soup. Makes about 30 balls.