I'm starting to get the ever so slight impression that winter has reared her frost-bitten head. Don't get me wrong, I love winter, it would be winter all year if I had my way. However, I can't ignore the fact that my feet are so frozen I can't feel them and my fingernails have turned an interesting shade of blue. On days like this I devote hours to cooking, the warmth from the oven glues me there. I spend my time churning out puddings, soups, pies and anything else that will put some heat in my belly.
Today my kid and I hid away in the kitchen, carefully selecting recipes as we huddled by the pre-heating oven. Ultimately we decided on maple sugar & walnut biscotti for morning tea and then some roasted chickpeas with rosemary and sea salt for an afternoon snack. For something a little more filling we couldn't resist the hearty 'Chickpeas and Dumpling Soup' from Oh My Veggies. I can't leave things alone so I've altered the recipe a bit (business as usual). It's a wonderfully comforting meal, just the thing to keep those blue fingernails at bay!
Vegetarian 'Chicken' and Veggie Soup with Dumplings
Recipe adapted from Oh My Veggies
Total time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients for the soup:
Vegetarian 'Chicken' and Veggie Soup with Dumplings
Recipe adapted from Oh My Veggies
Total time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients for the soup:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
- kernels of 1 fresh corn cob
- 5 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves finely chopped
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 3 1/2 cups vegetarian 'chicken' stock (I used Massel Ultracubes)
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Ingredients for the dumplings:
- 4 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
- 1/3 cup plain flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
Method
- Make the dumplings: In a bowl, stir together flour and salt; add butter, and using your fingers, rub into flour until pea-size clumps form. Add egg, and stir until it comes together. Place in the fridge for later.
- Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over low-medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, corn, thyme, and bay leaves. Cook until the onions are light golden brown, then add the chickpeas.
- Sprinkle the remaining flour over the veggies and stir to coat; cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer
- Drop dessert-spoonfuls of the dumpling batter into the pot, making sure they don't touch each other.
- Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and serve.