My real Jewish friends are off tonight having a "Break Passover" party, a little "celebration" where they're going to indulge in all those foods they couldn't eat for eight days - yeasted breads, cakes, pretty much anything that contains wheat, all of which were replaced during the Passover holiday with matzo.

Since the holiday is over, there might be a lot of leftover matzo. Sure, eating it at three meals for eight days, one might get sick of the hard, cracker-like flatbread, but no one ever gets sick of matzo ball soup. How could they? Matzo ball soup doesn't cause sickness, it cures it. It's known as Jewish penicillin, great for anytime of the year.

Now the "soup" part of matzo ball soup is no different from any basic chicken soup recipe. It's the matzo balls that make the soup, and to be sure, there are as many recipes for matzo balls as there are Jewish cooks. Debate ranges from ingredient choices - chicken fat vs. vegetable oil, plain water vs. seltzer vs. chicken broth, spices vs. salt/pepper only - to whether the matzo balls should be cooked in the soup or separately in boiling water.

Start with the matzo balls, since the "dough" needs time to chill in the refrigerator before it can be formed into balls. Stir together ½ c. matzo meal with about ½ tsp salt, dash of black pepper, and 2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley. If you want to get creative, you can add other spices like nutmeg, cayenne pepper, or even curry powder. I prefer to keep mine "pure."

If you are using your leftover matzo, then you can make matzo meal yourself. Crush the matzo as finely as you can by hand into a food processor, then pulse. Your homemade matzo meal probably won't be as fine and uniform as store-bought matzo meal, but when it goes into matzo balls, it won't matter.

Separate 2 large eggs, adding the yolks to the matzo meal mixture along with 1/4 c. plain water. Whip the egg whites into soft peaks, then fold into the matzo meal mixture. Most people use about 2 Tbsp of fat, whether vegetable oil, melted butter, or chicken fat. I used none. Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

While the "dough" is chilling, start the chicken broth. Place a whole chicken that has been rinsed and cut into pieces into a large pot. Add 2 carrots and 3 celery stalks that have been peeled and cut into 2" lengths, 1 onion that has been quartered, a few cloves of garlic, 1-2 Tbsp salt, and pepper to taste (you can always salt and pepper the broth after it has been cooked). Fill the pot with enough water to just cover the chicken and vegetables. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat to very low and simmer for about 30-40 minutes, skimming the surface of foam, fat, and other "gunk."

Once the matzo ball dough has chilled, form it into ½ - ¾" balls. It sounds small, but trust me. I don't know how it happens, but they more than double in size when they are cooked. You will get about a dozen balls.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, carefully add the matzo balls, turn down the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and let the matzo balls cook for 30 minutes. Do not lift the lid. They need their alone time to reach their full potential.

After 30 minutes, remove the lid and gaze in awe at your little babies that will have grown into 2" bundles of fluffy, puffy, matzo magic. Remove the balls from the water into a bowl, cover until the chicken soup is finished.

To finish the soup, strain the broth of the chicken and vegetables. Some people like to skim the fat (or even do this the night before, chill the broth in the refrigerator overnight, and remove the solidified fat from the surface). However, since there is no added fat in these matzo balls, I was okay with letting the chicken fat add its flavor to the soup. Discard the chicken skin (if you haven't already done so) and shred the chicken meat if you plan to use it in the soup.

Place a few vegetables in each bowl along with 2-3 matzo balls and shredded chicken if desired, ladle the broth over it, and serve.