I think I could write a book about matzo ball soup. Not a thin paperback, no, but a hardcover, an encyclopedic tome surveying history and virtues of the soul-healing nectar that warms the heart and cures the constitution.

With a result like that, one would expect that some effort would be required. The truth is, making the perfect matzo ball soup is a marathon, 26 miles of poaching and boning chicken, creating a flavorful, inspiring broth, making the matzo batter then letting it rest overnight, like a beloved aunt, so that it may shine in all its glory the next day. After that good night's sleep, you must ever-so-gently roll the batter into balls, cook them in barely simmering water, then give them another, restorative break before plunging them into the soup.

That leaves the soup itself, a magnificent hot tub of tender-crisp vegetables and perfectly cooked pasta — maybe alphabets or perhaps stars — that you serve only when each component is at its best.

The great thing is that mastering each component will do any cook a great service. It can only benefit a person who is in charge of making dinner — and breakfast and lunch — to learn how to poach a chicken and end up with tender, juicy meat, which then may be used in variety of other ways.

And every cook needs chicken broth. Who among us wouldn't rather have containers of homemade stuff waiting in the freezer than use one more box from the grocery store?

Discovering the joys of matzo meal doesn't hurt either. It not only can be transformed into orbs that seem to have descended from heaven but also irresistible eggy pancakes, as delicious but more forgiving than any crepe.

And finally, turning those ingredients — or any others — into a soup, one filled with vegetables that aren't mushy shadows of their fresher selves, and pasta that isn't swollen or gloppy, as unpleasant as it is easy to produce.

So let's start with the poached chicken.

I like this crazy recipe from Jeff Smith, The Frugal Gourmet. He brings a pot of water to the boil, then lowers the chicken in the pot and waits until the water stops boiling. Then he removes the chicken, brings the water back to the boil, then returns the chicken to the pot, puts on the lid, turns off the heat and leaves the chicken to sit for an hour until it's gently and perfectly done.

This method would never be endorsed by food safety experts. I've done it, and sometimes the chicken gets cooked and sometimes it doesn't. So I'm offering a modified version here. Instead of turning off the heat, turn it to low and leave it there for the full 1-hour soak.

If you try this method, use a small bird, one that weighs 3 pounds or less. And when you remove it from the water after the hour is up, take its temperture, preferably in a leg joint. The chicken is not done until its internal temperature reaches a minimum of 165 degrees. If you want it to fall-off-the-bone done, it'll need to reach 180 degrees. If you're not willing to spend so much time worrying about chicken, cut up the bird first rather than leaving it whole. You still have to use a thermometer at the end though, just to be safe. I think you'll be impressed with the result.

Enjoy!

Jill Blanchette is the multiplatform production manager at The Day. Share recipes and comments with her at j.blanchette@theday.com.

Chinese Poached Chicken

1 whole chicken, 3 pounds or less, not 1 ounce more

Fill a 12-quart kettle almost full of water and bring it to a boil.

Place the chicken into the boiling water. The water will stop boiling. When it does, gently remove the chicken, being careful not to tear the skin, and place the bird on a large tray or plate. Recover the pot and bring the water back to the boil.

When the water is boiling again, return the chicken to the pot, put on the cover and turn the heat down to low, as low as it will go. Leave the chicken in the pot and the pot on the burner and the cover on the pot for 1 hour.

When time's up, remove the chicken and use an instant read thermometer to take it’s temperature, preferably deep within a leg joint. When the temperature reaches at least 165 degrees, the chicken is done. Remove it from the pot and set it to cool on a tray or plate.

When it's cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bones. Throw them back into the pot and boil for an hour or so, with the cover off, to create a light chicken broth, which you can freeze and save for later use. If you're not using the chicken meat right away, to keep it extra moist, pack it into a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid and cover it with some of the broth from the pot before putting it in the refrigerator.

Original recipe from "The Frugal Gourmet Three Ancient Cuisines" by Jeff Smith.