First, what is a knoephla? Knoephla are small dumplings and the word is pronounced nefla. The name comes from the German word Knöpfle and it means little knob. These rosemary knoephla are different than cat head or sinker dumpling that are common in American chicken & dumplings. This is a chicken & dumpling soup that is relatively fast, and a bit different, really good, and very easy to make.
| Soup | |
| 4
tbl |
butter |
| 3 |
large carrots, peeled and
chopped |
| 3 | celery stalks, chopped |
| 1 large | onion, chopped |
| ¼
tsp |
black
pepper, freshly ground |
| 2
cloves |
garlic, minced |
| ½
tsp |
ground nutmeg |
| 10 cups | chicken stock |
| ½ tsp | dried thyme |
| 4
sprigs |
fresh
parsley, chopped |
| 1 tsp |
dried dill |
| 2 |
bay leaves |
| 1½ lbs |
cooked chicken, no skin or bones, shredded or
cut into ½" to ¾" pieces, thighs, breasts, it doesn't
matter |
| ½ cup |
heavy cream |
| Knoephla | |
| 3¼
cups |
AP flour |
| 1½
tsp |
baking powder |
| 1¼ tsp |
salt |
| ¼ tsp |
black pepper, freshly ground |
|
⅛ tsp |
ground nutmeg |
| 1 tbl |
fresh rosemary, finely chopped |
| 1 cup |
water |
| 1 |
egg |
Start
with the soup. Turn the heat to medium high under a large
pot that has a cover. Melt the butter, then add the
carrots, celery, onion and black pepper. Cook, stirring
frequently, until the onions are translucent. This should
take about 10 minutes. Add the nutmeg and garlic and cook
for one more minute.
Add the stock, thyme, parsley, dill, bay leaves, and
chicken. Bring this to a boil, lower it to a simmer, put
the lid on the pot, and cook for 20 minutes. While it
simmers, make the knoephla.
In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt,
pepper, nutmeg, and rosemary. Add the water and egg and
mix to for a sticky dough. Dust a clean working surface
with flour and knead the dough for two or three minutes or until
it is smooth and stiff. Use a rolling pin to roll the
dough out until it is ¼" to ⅜" thick. Don't make the dough
any thicker as the knoephla swell when they cook. Use a
pizza cutter to cut the dough into ½" to ¾" strips. Cut
across the strips to make ½" to ¾" squares. Separate
the knoephla so they don't stick to each other.
After the soup has simmered for 20 minutes, add the knoephla to
the soup, bring it back to a simmer, and cook uncovered this
time, for 20 minutes. While the soup cooks, stir it every
few minutes to make sure the knoephla don't stick together.
After the 20 minutes of simmering the knoephla is done, turn the
heat off, add the heavy cream, stir well, and serve.