Mock Gefilte Fish

Both my father and my aunt served this during those months, when fresh carp is not available. There are many versions of " Gefilte Fish", "Fish Balls", "Falsher Fish" or what my dad called "Polish Carp". Theirs was sweeter than most others I sampled, but it must closely resemble the taste they remembered from their home in Sosnowitz, Poland. Unfortunately I could not ask them for their recipe, so I adapted the one I found in Harriet Roth's "Deliciously Healthy Jewish Cooking".

• Ready In: 3 hrs
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• Stock

• 8  cups  chicken stock
• 1  large onion, sliced
• 3  carrots, peeled and sliced thinly
• 6  celery ribs, sliced
• 6  peppercorns
• 1  tablespoon salt
• 3  tablespoons sugar

• Meatballs

• 1  onion
• 3  carrots
• 2  lbs ground chicken
• 3  eggs
• 2⁄3 cup matzo meal or 2⁄3 cup  breadcrumbs
• 1⁄3 cup  stock, cooled
•  pepper
• 2 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
• 2 1⁄2 tablespoons sugar
•  parsley, chopped

Directions

1. Bring water and stock ingredients to a boil and simmer for half an hour.
2. Meanwhile, grate onion and carrots, and mix with the chicken, eggs, and reserved stock. Add the matzo meal or bread crumbs and season with salt, pepper, and sugar. Form into medium-sized balls.
3. Bring stock to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and add meat balls and parsley. Cover partially. Simmer for 2 hours.
4. Place meat balls in a casserole dish. Reduce the stock to about half, strain, and pour over the meat balls. Top with cooked carrot slices.
5. Cool thoroughly in the refrigerator.
6. Serve with horseradish sauce.