It must have been the first year I was making Passover dinner. I remember standing by the kitchen table, talking on the phone with my mother, reaching for a scrap of paper, and taking down the recipe. That scrap has occupied a hallowed space in my recipe book ever since, opened to that page every year when it's time to make the Matzoh Balls.
For those who know the customs of Passover (tonight, Seder, don't be late), the placement of this recipe in my three-ring binder is hilarious, if not sacrilegious, stacked as it is on top of the Fettuccine Alfredo recipe. No noodles are allowed during Passover, which, for me, is akin to giving up most of my diet, as pasta in any form constitutes my favorite consumable.
Since I posted the recipe (along with the scrumptious soup that I also make for this meal) as part of a Rosh Hashonah menu a while back, I won't repeat it, but will remind all makers of "kneidlach" (or as my mother called them "kneidles") to separate the eggs, beat the whites, then gently fold them in into the matzoh meal, a little at a time. Result? Your matzoh balls will not only float but will melt on contact with your taste buds, light, airy, delicious.
Meanwhile, Happy Passover to all celebrating freedom, an aspiration for humanity everywhere.