This soup has the power to heal everything from the flu to a broken heart. Dare I say it’s my favorite soup of all time- soup my mother has been making since I was a baby. Though unusual, I encourage you to try the Farina dumplings; they are so tender they almost melt in your mouth, but you can always opt for some nice wide egg noodles if you prefer. I’m pretty sure you will love it just as much as I do.
Key things to know:
- this soup hinges on the use of a seasoning called Vegeta; it is pure magic and is indispensable here
- let the stock simmer for at least 2 hours and up to 2 1/2 until the meat is falling off the bone
- white pepper is a must
- strain the stock and refrigerate the day before you plan to make the soup so that you can de-fat the broth
- I really mean it about the Vegeta; you can find it at most large grocery stores
Chicken Soup with Farina Dumplings
Course: SoupsIngredients
- Stock
1 whole chicken
2 carrots
2 stalks of celery
1 yellow onion (skin left on)
1/2 bunch of parsley
1 parsnip
3 or 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 t black peppercorns
- Soup
strained, de-fatted broth
chicken meat
2 or 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch rounds
Vegeta, to taste
pinch of white pepper
wide egg noodles or Farina dumplings (recipe follows)
- Farina Dumplings
1 1/4 cups milk (I use whole)
6 T farina
1/4 t salt
1 T butter
1 egg
Directions
- Put all the vegetables and the peppercorns in a large pot, place the chicken over them and fill the pot with water until the chicken is just covered.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat, partially cover and simmer on low for 2 1/2 hours. You should have the pot mostly covered with just a bit of room for steam to escape.
- Turn off the heat and let the chicken sit in the broth for an hour or so.
- Strain the broth into a large pot or container and put it in the fridge overnight. De-fat the broth before using.
- Remove the meat you want to use for the soup from the chicken once it’s cool enough to handle. I like to leave it in bigger chunks.
- Soup
- Put the strained, de-fatted broth in a pot and add the carrots; bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until carrots are cooked through, about 15 minutes.
- Add a pinch of white pepper and Vegeta seasoning to taste; I usually start with 2 tablespoons and then taste it to see if it needs more. If you are planning to do noodles rather than dumplings, this is the point at which you would put the noodles in the soup. I usually simmer the noodles for 5 minutes or so, add the chicken meat, turn off the heat and then cover the soup and let the noodles finish cooking in the hot broth.
- If you are making the Farina dumplings, you will do this while the carrots are cooking. Keep the soup at a low simmer and add the chicken meat. Use two spoons, one to scoop up a hearty, heaping tablespoons of farina, the second to scrape the farina mixture off into the broth. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let the dumplings absorb the hot broth. They cook instantly.
- Farina Dumplings
- Bring the milk, butter and a pinch of salt to a simmer in a heavy saucepan; you should just have bubbles around the edges. Turn down the heat to the lowest setting.
- Whisk in the farina slowly and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. The mixture should be very thick.
- Let this cool for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, beat the egg lightly in a bowl. You are going to add the egg to the farina mixture very very quickly, stirring like mad so that the egg doesn’t scramble. Stir thoroughly until the egg is completely incorporated.
- The mixture is then ready to be formed into dumplings.