Hemp and Walnut Kneydlekh (Wheat-Free Matzo Balls)

The biggest difference in preparation between these guys and regular matzo balls is that you will make the batter just a tiny bit stiffer—matzo will continue to absorb moisture as the batter sits, but nuts do not. You could probably make this with all walnuts or all hemp seeds. I will be trying some other nut-combinations once the holiday begins. These kneydlekh are different from matzo balls, but they are satisfyingly toothy nonetheless. I will certainly be making them again, and I eat wheat all the time.

Hemp and Walnut Kneydlekh (Wheat-Free Matzo Balls)
(This recipe appeared in Yiddish here, along with a recipe for miso-ginger broth, which will be showing up in English sometime after Passover)

2 eggs

½ cup (2 ounces) lightly toasted walnuts

½ cup (2 ounces) lightly toasted hemp seeds

2 tablespoons (1 ounce) butter or coconut oil

salt, pepper, and paprika

Grind the walnuts to a fine meal. Grind the hemp seeds just to break them up very slightly, or leave them whole. Mix the nuts and seeds together. The resule should have the approximate consistency of Streit’s Matzo meal.

Beat the eggs, and season lavishly. Add oil or butter and the nut and seed mixture. Refrigerate the batter a few hours or overnight.

Bring a pot of enthusiastically salted water to a boil. Lower the heat so that it is simmering gently. Form the batter into balls and carefully lower the balls into the water. Cook for about forty minutes. Serve with soup.

Are hemp seeds kitniot?

Some folks say yes. Others say no. And then some say both yes and no. If you find in favor of hemp seed use for Passover, you still have to examine them thoroughly three times. I am pretty excited to be undertaking this task for the first time.

This year, Hungry Hungry Hippo Girl knocked my socks off when she told me about the process by which she examines rice for Passover. You put the rice on a platter, and then, with a fingertip, push the rice, one grain at a time, across to the other side. Then you do it again. And again. Now, this sounds difficult, physically exhausting, and really time-consuming. In other words, I couldn’t wait to try it. The idea of this process (so utterly about food, so completely Jewish) intrigued me so much that I almost wished I used kitniot. Now, with hemp seeds, I have a chance to indulge in two khumres that would normally cancel each other out. You think I am kidding, but I am not.

What on earth am I talking about? The best explanation is Attila’s landmark post on the 4 stages of kitniot.

פּסח

קיטניות
Passover , Pesach,

wheat-free matzo balls,
gluten-free matzo balls,
low glycemic index matzo balls