No Snowflake Soup for you!

[JacklynHyde]

Personally, I think the soup turned out perfectly.  My husband prefers the matzo balls to be more dumpling density, but mine are the more traditional fluffy kind.  The difference, seriously, is in the use of chicken fat instead of vegetable oil.  Thanks for asking!

[gramma dishes]

Good!  Sounds like your soup was a hit!

Added bonus that Andrea came around too and realized her expectations were not really all that reasonable.  Kudos to her for apologizing.  For some people that's really hard to do.

[White Lotus]

Speaking as a vegetarian and a fairly good cook, I don't see how matzoh ball soup could be made vegetarian, because the chicken stock and its flavor is so much a part of the dish.  Can't fake it; nothing else tastes the same.  Sorry.  Such is life.  Andrea was unreasonable, and then very unreasonable and rude, too.  Nobody should insist that I make my black bean soup with a ham hock, either, because they are apparently terrified, for some reason I cannot fathom, of a meal without meat.  Yes, this has happened.  And that is an instance where there is, I am reliably informed, no difference at all in taste.  Chicken soup?  Come on!  There is no substitute. 
If you want gluten free, look up recipes on line or at the library.  It isn't as simple as one for one substitution -- been there, done that, doesn't work.  But there are cookbooks, and some of the baked goods are first choice, my new recipe, superb.

[GreenHall]

I agree.

My garlic soup is made with chicken broth.  I experimented with the recipe a number of times before submitting it to my SCA group for approval for a feast.  Someone asked if it could be made vegetarian and I replied in the negative.  It didn't work from either a texture or flavor perspective.

I am not Jewish but I am a New Yorker with some familiarity with this foodstuff.  I can't see how it could work without chicken.

Garlic soup sounds awesome - do you share that recipe?

[marcel]

Becoming vegetarian is a choice, usually based on not wanting to contribute to the death of animals, or on the belief that meat is unhealthy. (There may be a few exceptions; if so, please forgive and enlighten my ignorance!)

Since you ask: There are also vegetarians who are vegetarian for environmental reasons.

[Tea Drinker]

Thinking about this, I suspect I could make a soup with matzoh balls that was vegetarian (I generally use vegetable oil in the matzoh balls, not chicken fat), but I wouldn't feel right about presenting it as matzoh ball soup, because the broth is so much a part of the whole experience.

Tangenting a bit, folks, do you think I could make a reasonable matzoh ball soup with just chicken broth, matzoh balls, and maybe a little bit of celery? (There's no chicken in the house, only chicken broth.)

[Mental Magpie]

Becoming vegetarian is a choice, usually based on not wanting to contribute to the death of animals, or on the belief that meat is unhealthy. (There may be a few exceptions; if so, please forgive and enlighten my ignorance!)

Since you ask: There are also vegetarians who are vegetarian for environmental reasons.

That is partially my sister.

[Venus193]

Garlic soup sounds awesome - do you share that recipe?

It's reply #5 on this page:

http://www.etiquettehell.com/smf/index.php?topic=230.0

[elephantschild]

That sounds wonderful! Thank you for sharing!

Hmm ... how many bulbs does a 1/2 pound of cloves generally equal? (*plots shopping list for next week ...*)

[Venus193]

I don't remember, but you can buy pre-peeled garlic much more easily these days.

[GreenHall]

It's reply #5 on this page:

http://www.etiquettehell.com/smf/index.php?topic=230.0

THank you!
(...I had also forgotten where I was reading when I saw and requested this...)

Also will have to dig into the other soup recipes...mmm

[Shea]

Thinking about this, I suspect I could make a soup with matzoh balls that was vegetarian (I generally use vegetable oil in the matzoh balls, not chicken fat), but I wouldn't feel right about presenting it as matzoh ball soup, because the broth is so much a part of the whole experience.

Tangenting a bit, folks, do you think I could make a reasonable matzoh ball soup with just chicken broth, matzoh balls, and maybe a little bit of celery? (There's no chicken in the house, only chicken broth.)

That's how my Jewish boyfriend makes it, just matzoh balls and chicken broth, no celery even. And it's delicious.

[strangetimes]

I've made vegetarian matzoh ball soup-  I don't do it these days, because my husband can't have any grains, but I used to add matzoh balls to all kinds of soup- I like lots of 'stuff' in my soup.

I've always made my matzoh balls with oil, so I just add them to the soup when it's cooked a bit- they go well with everything!

[amyg]

Just need to point out that MY mom's traditional matzoh ball soup isn't vegetarian, but doesn't involve chicken, either. It's made with flanken (i.e., kosher short ribs), and has a richer flavor than chicken varieties. Now that flanken is so expensive, she often makes it with chicken instead, and it's fine, but flanken is still my favorite.

[Bottlecaps]

Wow. I was a vegetarian for three and a half years (as a teenager) and never once demanded that my family alter a recipe or a meal just for me. In fact, a lot of my cooking training came from learning to make my own vegetarian versions of my favorite meals. However, some meals simply can't be duplicated in a vegetarian or vegan fashion and still turn out well. I'm glad your soup turned out well. I've never had matzoh ball soup but it sounds good! Perhaps I should try it sometime.