Recipe: Farina Dumpling Soup for Shirley

FARINA DUMPLING SOUP

These tender dumplings are perfect every time. They're light, yet filling, and guaranteed to become a family favorite.

FOR THE DUMPLINGS:
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup uncooked cream of wheat (not instant)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
6 cups canned chicken broth or vegetable stock (prepare with stock concentrate, cubes, or powder), or as needed
Salt to taste
FOR THE SOUP:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion
6 cups canned chicken broth or vegetable stock (prepare using stock concentrate, cubes, or powder)
2 celery stalks and leaves, thinly sliced
2 plum tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons snipped fresh dill or 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1 bay leaf (see Tip)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

To make the dumplings
Stir together the egg, cream of wheat, and vegetable oil in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

To cook, bring a medium saucepan of salted vegetable stock to a boil over high heat. Drop the batter by a scant table flatware teaspoon (the dumplings will be irregular in shape) into the stock. Reduce the heat; simmer for about 20 minutes, until the dumplings expand and are cooked through. When they are done, use a slotted spoon to transfer the dumplings to a plate; cover to keep warm. Discard the stock.

To make the soup:
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the carrots and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken broth or vegetable stock. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Reduce the heat; cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf and season to taste.

For each serving, place 2 or 3 dumplings in a soup bowl and ladle the hot soup over them.

Advance preparation:
This soup and the dumplings will keep for up to 3 days in separate covered containers in the refrigerator. It's easiest to assemble individual servings of the soup with dumplings and reheat in the microwave. Or, reheat them together in a Dutch oven for no longer than 10 minutes, taking care not to break apart the dumplings.

Makes 6 cups (12 dumplings); 4 o 6 servings

Source: Paulette Mitchell a culinary instructor, television personality, and the author of 10 cookbooks, is known internationally for her quick-to-prepare recipes with a gourmet flair. Her 15-Minute Gourmet cookbook series, including Chicken, Vegetarian, and Noodles, was awarded "Best Cookbook Series in the World" at the 2000 World Cookbook Fair in P rigueux, France in November, 2000. Her Complete Soy Cookbook was named "Best Health Cookbook" at the same event in 1998.