"I love almost all seafood. I love mussels. And all other seafood."

Ahmad, Massachusetts, USA

Mussels with Cider

2 shallots, diced

4 scallions, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, julienned

1 small chili, seeded and thinly sliced

2 lbs mussels, scrubbed, debearded, and sorted.

1/4 cup hard cider

Delicious bread, to serve

1. In a large pot, heat a knob of butter with a drop of vegetable oil. Add shallots and gently cook until translucent. Add all other vegetables, season, and cook until soft. 

2. Add mussels, give it a quick stir, and then add cider. Season with salt and pepper. Cover immediately and steam until the mussels have opened, about 3-5 minutes. Discard any mussels that haven't opened.

3. Serve immediately with warm bread to soak up the broth.

What is your favourite holiday, and what do you eat then?

"Easter. Hot cross buns are rad."

Columbia, Adelaide, Australia

Hot cross buns are often eaten over the Easter holiday- particularly on Good Friday. 

In Australia, they seemed to be consumed all year. I saw hot cross buns in most bakeries and grocery stores. A popular variation I often spotted was cocoa with chocolate chips; fantastic warm with some soft butter. 

I bought these buns at a bakery, so no recipe today. However,  check out Aussie blog Meet Me At Mike's for a lovely tutorial on making these treats.

What is your favourite holiday and what do you eat then?

"Pesach...coleslaw by my grandmother, matzo balls, coconut and chocolate macaroons..."

Liz, Toronto, Canada

Matzo Ball Soup

The smell of matzo ball soup cooking is a surefire sign that spring is on it’s way! Though, I’d be happy eating this any day of the year…

Chicken fat, or shmaltz, as it’s known in Yiddish, is the secret ingredient to a perfect matzo ball. You can buy it, but you can also just use the fat that you scoop off the top of your broth as it cooks.  I also used chicken salt in my matzo balls (a strange Aussie product that I love) for an extra chicken-y kick.

Boiling a whole chicken will yield way more meat than you need. I made some chicken salad with kewpie mayonnaise and avocado... delicious! (And probably pretty good on matzo…)

For the soup:

1 whole chicken

2 onions, quartered

2 peeled carrots, cut into large chunks

2 stalks celery, cut into large chunks

A pinch peppercorns

Salt

A bay leaf, some thyme and rosemary tied up with string

For the matzo balls:

1 cup matzo meal

1/4 melted chicken fat (you can also use oil)

4 eggs

1/4 cup seltzer

Ground pepper

Salt

1. Put all your soup ingredients in a large pot. Cover completely with water and bring to boil.

2. Gently boil, uncovered, occasionally skimming any impurities or fat that rise to the top. 

3. Meanwhile, make your matzo balls. In a medium-sized bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Be sure to use plenty of salt! Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for at least an hour and a half.

4. Let your broth cook for at least two hours. To keep it from reducing drastically, you can add water occasionally. Salt graciously.

5. When your matzo ball mixture is ready, boil a pot of water. Form smooth, golfball sized balls, and add to the pot. Cover with a tight fitting lid, reduce to a simmer, and cook for about thirty minutes.

6. When the broth tastes rich and flavourful, remove chicken and leave to cool on a platter. Strain the broth and reserve the carrots.

7. Shred the cooked chicken and slice the cooked carrots into coins.

8. To serve, put a handful of shredded chicken, some carrots, and a couple of matzo balls into each bowl and ladle hot broth over.

Enjoy, and if you're celebrating Pesach, chag sameach!