Ha.
Warm welcomes, fluttering food fledglings. I have been cooking my ass off lately (does that count as an oxymoron?) and it has been OK. I found a couple things on the internet that seemed more yummy than Patton Oswald performing the voice of the rat in "Ratatouille." I will separate out the different things I made this last weekend into different posts. So, here is my adventure in CHICKEN AND DUMPLING SOUP.
I have been doing my research on soup making for a number of reasons, and got some sweet terminology from it. Mirepoix and roux being the main ones. I already knew what a roux was, but now I can make one. SMILES AND SUNSHINE! I did learn that flavor flows easier through oils and fats than water, which can hold back flavor tidbits. This counts for vegetarian and meat-hearty recipes.
While I am a fan of freshness and flavor, time and affordability must be taken into consideration if you're a poor little amateur like me. So, one may use large grocery stores, but pick ones with good produce. Walmart typically does not have good produce. You can taste the hybrid/chemical/soul crushing-ness in the vegetables and fruits. However, if you know what to look for it's not impossible to get good produce. I prefer the smaller chain grocery stores that go for quality rather than the cheapest price. You pay negligibly more and the quality is so much better. If you're familiar with my area of Iowa, you know of the Hy-Vee chain. The comparison usually puts Hy-Vee as the front-runner for reasonably priced produce. Fareway stores are pretty gnarly too, not to get too local for you out-of-towners. The only problems I have with our Fareway are short operating hours and various small, insignificant inconveniences. However, they have great produce, the meat is out of this world, and if you are concerned, I have reason to believe that their meat is certified to be humanely killed (I will post that info if I find it). Anyway, I am on a tangent.
Picking good produce at a decent price is important. For this recipe I bought carrots, celery, and an onion (spring for two onions, my favorite is yellow). To make a proper mirepoix (look it up if you don't know, I am not gonna 'splain) you need double the onions over the amounts of the other vegetables combined *long breath*. I used a couple chicken breasts from a frozen bag (economical but of mediocre quality), and chicken base since I am too lazy to make a real stock. I could go into a tangent again, but I will stay on topic. I bought this foodservice exclusive base from work that RULES. It is mainly roasted chicken meat and salt, but it is not the dry, powdery 99% salt concoction you get from big box retailers, it is a goopy, delicious paste that separates. It is the real deal. I also used fresh garlic cloves, dried bay leaves, salt, pepper, parsley flakes, oregano, and poultry seasoning. I won't give amounts, as these are purely to taste, and depend on the meat, base, and other factors. So, now that you know what I used, here is my "recipe" since for soup I throw it all together and taste frequently.
2 chicken breasts (or about 1lb of chicken skinned, boned, some fat left)
~1/2 cup chicken base (subjective to brand and taste, start slow)
5 stalks of celery (I used a larger "chunk" cut, what you do is up to you)
4-5 carrots ""
1 1/2-2 onions diced (use your own judgment, onions add a lot of flavor but get masked easily by other flavors)
Fresh garlic cloves, minced (about one bulb of garlic will do)
Bay leaves
Salt and pepper
Parsley flakes
Oregano
(all to taste)
To do the bay leaves, I tied a coffee filter around them with dental floss and boiled it in the soup for about 15 minutes. The large, dry leaves are basically inedible and an aromatic if you will.
OK, so I began by getting 3-4 quarts of water boiling in a large pot. I added a few large tablespoons of my chicken base to make a chicken stock. You can use pre-made chicken stock if you so choose.
Chop all your vegetables to match the amount of water and how thick and chunky you like your soup to be. I like a lot. Mince your garlic (set aside separately), get all vegetables chopped, and have them set aside.
Get a saute pan, with about a tablespoon of cooking oil over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken breasts on each side. You can season if you want, but it will most likely be lost when making soup. Get the outsides brown, don't worry about cooking through, as the soup will do that. You can start from thawed or frozen chicken, which is a big time saver.
Once the stock is boiling and the chicken is seared, drop the whole breasts into the stock, ensuring you scrape the pan into the pot as well (extra oil will carry the flavor, you can use the delicious juice and all the other side effects of flesh carmelization). You will have to dice the chicken at some point, either after searing or after cooking in the soup. I recommend searing before cutting, but that is my personal preference. Allow the soup to come back to a boil, and add vegetables. Allow all of this to come back to a boil and cover. I am not sure how long this takes, but check the soup every 5-10 minutes after the first 15. Check the vegetables for done-ness as well as chicken tenderness. I like it all pretty done but not mushy.
I prefer to season towards the end of the soup. That way the seasonings aren't just boiled into oblivion. When the vegetables are nearly done, check the soup and add seasonings (and more base if necessary) to taste. Add the garlic and other spices, then tie your bag of bay leaves to the handle and drop in.
Now is a critical time. You can make your dumplings before-hand, or right now. It takes very little time but can get hectic if you're timing your veggies. I got this recipe from this here
# 2 cups of white flour
# 4 tsp. baking powder
# 1 tsp. salt
# 4 tbsp. soft margarine or butter
# 1 cup of milk (or more)
1. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
2. Cut in butter that's been kept at room temperature or use soft margarine.
3. Stir milk lightly into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon and adjust amounts to make sure that you have a moist dumpling dough.
I add a little parsley to the dumplings for a little coloration. That is totally optional. Add the dumplings by spooning small balls into the boiling soup. Do this a few at a time as to not decrease the temperature too much. When all the dough is used, close the lid and "steam" them for a while. Check one for doneness, and check the veggies and meat as well. When it is all to your standards, let it sit for a while. It will be very hot and retain heat for a long time. The soup will thicken a bit due to the dumplings.
To plate, I used a wide-lip soup bowl on a plate. I scooped on and garnished with a small sprig of celery leaf. It tasted good, but I could have spent more time seasoning.
This isn't an actual picture. Perhaps I should get batteries for my camera.
Any questions? Leave a comment or email us @twofatamateursATgmail.com
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