Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Ben’s great matzo ball soup
Delray Beach A.
Q. I would like to have the recipe for Ben’s matzo ball soup. It is very delicious. I wrote to you about a month ago. You replied to me but never sent the recipes. I would be very grateful to you if you would send them to me. — Barbara Guttell,
When I receive recipe requests I try to reply as quickly as possible, acknowledging receipt as a common courtesy. Occasionally a request will get lost in the shuffle or go unnoticed landing in a spam folder. More often than not, requests take several weeks if not months to fill. In general, chefs and restaurant owners are very busy people. The industry is beyond demanding and stressful. As a result, tracking down the proper powers to authorize recipe sharing takes rounds of phone tag before I even come close to asking if it’s sautéed or steamed.
Sometimes I get lucky and reach an owner/chef on the first outreach and they spew the recipe off the top of their heads. Those are few and far between. For the recipes that I am fortunate to get my hands on, they are available in print and online at sunsentinel.com/reciperequest. So thank you, Barbara, for patiently waiting for the
Whenever possible, I try to cook with fresh herbs. But I’d never make a grocery store run for just a teaspoon of fresh thyme. Dried herbs tend to be more potent than fresh, so you don’t have to use as much. As a rule of thumb, when converting recipes from fresh to dried herbs, reduce the amount to one-third. For example, 3 teaspoons equal 1 tablespoon, so if a recipe calls for a tablespoon of fresh basil, use a 1 teaspoon of dried.
Claire’s Tip of the Week:
matzo ball soup recipe from Ben’s Kosher Restaurant, Delicatessen and Caterers (9942 Clint Moore Road, Boca Raton; 561-470-9963; bensdeli.net).
Ben’s founder, Ronnie Dragoon, started building his deli empire in 1972. Fast forward 46 years later and Dragoon, still very involved in the business, keeps tabs on his six New York locations and his first and only restaurant outside of New York in Boca Raton.
Many of Ben’s specialties are family recipes handed down from Dragoon’s grandmother and mother, like the matzo ball soup. According to Dragoon, the secret to a great matzo ball soup recipe is a light matzo ball and a golden chicken soup made with whole chickens and chicken bones. The baking powder in the matzo balls, and homemade broth, is a must to achieve Ben’s results. His recipe is made fresh daily in 50-gallon kettles. Thankfully, the recipe he provided is scaled back for home cooks.
Q. I recently dined at TooJay’s and ordered the homemade shepherd’s pie. The melody of flavors were incredibly fresh and flavorful. It was the epitome of comfort food. I would love it if you are able to get their rhepherd’s pie recipe so I can re-create it at home. — Ashley Kozich, Hallandale Beach
A.
I’ve made a handful of requests for TooJay’s (multiple locations; toojays.com) recipes over the years. Unfortunately, I never get very far. But I don’t want to leave Ashley empty handed. So, I’m offering my recipe as a fill-in.
This happens to be a favorite dinner at my house. I’ve been making the same recipe for years, tweaking it along the way. I always make two — one to eat and one to freeze. What I like about this recipe is the delicious brown gravy it creates with the meat, unlike other versions that are too dry and bland for my tastes.
Some may argue this is more cottage pie than shepherd’s pie because of the use of beef versus lamb. Use whatever suits your taste and budget. If you want to try a twist on the recipe, substitute ground turkey for the beef and sweet potatoes for the russets. I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we do.