Lord Commander's Parsnip Dumpling Soup

 Sheldon: Let me walk you through it, our standard is, the steamed dumpling appetizer, General So’s chicken, beef with broccoli, shrimp with lobster sauce and vegetable lo-main. Do you see the problem?

Leonard: I see a problem.

Sheldon: Our entire order is predicated on four dumplings and four entrees divided among four people.

 The Big Bang Theory

I got this recipe from a wonderful recipe book called Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi.  The recipes are all vegetarian, and every single one that I have tried has been delicious.  I highly recommend purchasing it, especially if you like this soup!

What you need for the broth:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 5 celery stalks, diced
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 1/2 celeriac, peeled and roughly chopped
• 7 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 5 thyme sprigs
• 2 bunches of parsley
• 10 Black peppercorns
• 3 bay leaves
• 8 prunes

What you need for the dumplings:

• 1/2lb Russet Potato, peeled and diced
• 1 1/2 cups Parsnips, peeled and diced
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 2 tbsp butter
•  1/2 cup self-rising flour
• 1/3 cup semolina flour
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper to taste 

Ideally, you would make this recipe using 2 large pots-one to get the dumpling ingredients going, and one to get the broth going.  I only had one pot, so I tried to do the recipe as efficiently as possible.  To begin, boil the potato, parsnip, and garlic in a large pot filled with salted water until they are soft.  Drain well. 

Cooked Parsnips and Potatoes

Dry the pot off and then add the butter.  Once the butter is melted, return the potato and parsnip mixture to the pot and saute on medium heat for a few minutes.  Because I needed the pot for the broth, at this point I dumped the parsnip mixture into a new bowl to be mashed.  Add in the flour, semolina, egg, salt and pepper and continue to mix until everything has combined. 

Dumpling mixture

Now cover the bowl in plastic wrap and stick it in the refrigerator for around 45 minutes.

For the broth, add the oil to the pot and let it heat, then add in the veggies and garlic and saute for a few minutes.  Next, add in the spices and prunes.  Cover everything with cool water and turn the heat up to get it boiling.  Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down and let it simmer for about an hour.  Stir occasionally and add water as necessary to ensure you have enough broth for 4 servings.

It looks a bit gross as it boils and froths, but it will be delicious

During the last 15 minutes of simmer-time for the broth, bring salted water to a boil in a medium-sized sauce pan.  Reduce the heat to a simmer.  Now grab a teaspoon, dip it in the water, and begin spooning your dumpling mixture into the pan.  I did this in 3 batches to avoid over-crowding.  The dumplings will sink to the bottom at first.  Once they rise to the top, let them simmer for an additional 30 seconds before removing them with a slatted spoon and setting them aside. 

Dumpling-making

 Now it's time to strain your broth.  I wanted to leave some texture in the soup, so I removed all of the thyme sprigs, parsley, prunes, and bay leaves but left about half of the carrot, celeriac, celery, and onion.  Whether you leave some or all of the veggies is totally up to you. 

Divide the finished dumplings among the bowls and then cover in broth.  Enjoy!

Dumplings ready to be brothed