• 1 stewing chicken, about 6 lbs. each, including neck and giblets, discarding liver and fat from cavities
• 2 large onions, halved
• 3 carrots, scraped and cut into large chunks
• 15 sprigs parsley
• 1 lb. black peppercorns, crushed
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup water or seltzer
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. schmaltz or oil, melted
• 2 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
• 1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg
• 3 Tbs. parsley, minced
• 1 cup matzo meal

Place first 4 ingredients in a stockpot and barely cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to barely a simmer, skimming foam. Stir in peppercorns.

Partially cover and simmer about 2 hours, skimming occasionally, until chicken is cooked through. Transfer chicken to a platter. Remove meat from bones when cool enough to handle. Reserve meat.

Return bones and skin to the simmering soup and cook another 1 hour or so. Strain soup into a bowl and discard everything in the strainer. Cool and return chicken meat to soup. Refrigerate overnight.

Remove the fat that has hardened on the surface. Combine eggs, water, schmaltz and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl. Add ginger, nutmeg and minced parsley. Gradually stir in matzo meal. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Using about 2 tablespoons for each ball, form matzo balls with moistened palms. Drop balls into boiling water. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes. Heat chicken soup over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve kneidlach in soup.

This recipe serves 8 people. Due to the nature of this recipe, it adjusts the number of servings in multiples of 8 only.

Per serving: calories 557, fat 38.7g, 63% calories from fat, cholesterol 224mg, protein 33.7g, carbohydrates 17.6g, fiber 2.2g, sugar 5.3g, sodium 165mg, diet points 14.4.

Dietary Exchanges: Milk: 0.0, Vegetable: 1.8, Fruit: 0.0, Bread: 0.5, Lean meat: 4.6, Fat: 5.0, Sugar: 0.0, Very lean meat protein: 0.0

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The recommended wines are: Chenin Blanc, Chianti, or Fumé Blanc.