Apple cider soup

Ahh, Autumn! It is the perfect time to be freshly living in a new country, especially when that country grows apples. Don't get me wrong, I love American Apples; some Fujis or Honeycrisp, even the tiny Czech apples are scrumptious at this time, but I've stumbled onto some serious Apples here. Hopefully this isn't a fluke. The English also make cider, which features in this soup. I've made apple soup before, but with curry. Curry and apples are fine friends, but this soup is so tangy and warm (and who could complain about having to drink the leftover cider) that I may be a convert.

35 grams butter
3 onions, sliced
2 apples, peeled and sliced
splash balsamic vinegar
6 small (2 large) potatoes, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 liter vegetable stock (either fresh stock or stock cube)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper
150 ml cider

1. Saute the onion and apple in the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot until soft and slightly browned, adding a splash of balsamic vinegar midway through the cooking process.
2. Add the potatoes and carrots and cook for a few minutes
3. Pour in the cider and bay leaves and bring to a boil
4. Add the stock, thyme, and simmer at a low heat 45 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
5. Season with salt and pepper and serve with cheese toast.

matzoh ball soup

I'm not so very Jewish, but I love the food. I love the culture of cooking special things at certain times, and undoubtedly, if exposed to this aspect of another culture, would embrace it just as surely. We celebrated Passover this year, not in a bread-free week aspect, or necessarily a religious holiday aspect, but as a chance to gather friends together and eat. Though we did discuss the symbolism of it all, and the friends were invited to to their first taste of matzoh, their first hallal sandwich, and their first matzoh ball soup.

Making broth is one of the simplest things in the world, and like making bread, turns your house into a gallery of scent. Who could reject the simple smell of vegetables and garlic simmering away?

Broth
Save your vegetable cuttings, peelings (onion skins and broccoli stems, garlic cloves and herbs) and put them in a large pot. Drown them in water and cook them all day (at least 3 or 4 hours) on a very low heat. Strain the mess and use this broth for any soup. If you eat animals and have some bones/skin/cartilage, put these things in the pot too.

Matzoh balls (adapted from a recipe available on epicurious.com)

    *  4 large eggs, separated
    * 1/4 cup chicken fat (reserved from broth, if available) or pareve kosher-for-Passover margarine, melted, cooled
    * 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley and dill
    * 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
    * 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
    * 2/3 cup unsalted matzo meal

Stir egg yolks and next 4 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Beat egg whites in another medium bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into yolk mixture alternately with matzo meal in 3 additions each. Cover and chill until cold and firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day

Form balls from the chilled matzoh meal (this makes enough for two medium-sized balls for 8 people), and reserve on an oiled tray/plate (this can be done ahead)

30 minutes before dinnertime, bring the broth to a boil and gently drop the matzoh balls into the broth. After 15 minutes, turn them over and continue cooking. To serve, spoon two matzoh balls into each bowl and cover with broth.
Delicious