Knoepfle soup is a heartily classic dish,
famous in the culture of Germans from Russia, most particularly for those who live in North Dakota. I (Chris) grew up eating this as the most desirable of dishes prepared in the Linton Public School cafeteria. I remember thinking the green-tinged creamy broth looked awful the first time I saw it...and then I tasted it! All skepticism vanished, and I developed an instant reverence for the culinary expertise of those little-old German lunch ladies with brogues that could rival the kaiser's! My understanding of "classic" knoepfle (which I pronounce "neff-la," though many say "niff-la") is that it is most often a relatively thin milk and chicken-stock based broth, given a green tinge by generous amounts of celery. I've personally made a few variations, my favorite of which is the one below. Compared to the original, this "Knoepfle Soup with a Southern Accent" adds chicken and uses green onions instead of regular onions. Special thanks for enabling my experimentations go to Cindy (Wenninger) Jacob, a talented graphic artist who worked for my parents' newspaper, and now lives in Bismarck, North Dakota. She shared her recipe with me, which was the start of all this experimentation. Knoepfle is, to me, the ultimate comfort food. Cindy brought quart jars of the soothing mix to us when my father passed, and the warm, genuine sense of caring expressed by that soup went beyond even the kindest of words she shared. Indeed, I believe all fundamentally good people express caring for others in deeply meaningful ways. Stereotypically, Germans-from-Russia are very stoic people for whom expressions of emotion do not come easily. For them, surely dishes like knoepfle soup are the product of deep and sincere emotion that equals nothing short of love.
famous in the culture of Germans from Russia, most particularly for those who live in North Dakota. I (Chris) grew up eating this as the most desirable of dishes prepared in the Linton Public School cafeteria. I remember thinking the green-tinged creamy broth looked awful the first time I saw it...and then I tasted it! All skepticism vanished, and I developed an instant reverence for the culinary expertise of those little-old German lunch ladies with brogues that could rival the kaiser's! My understanding of "classic" knoepfle (which I pronounce "neff-la," though many say "niff-la") is that it is most often a relatively thin milk and chicken-stock based broth, given a green tinge by generous amounts of celery. I've personally made a few variations, my favorite of which is the one below. Compared to the original, this "Knoepfle Soup with a Southern Accent" adds chicken and uses green onions instead of regular onions. Special thanks for enabling my experimentations go to Cindy (Wenninger) Jacob, a talented graphic artist who worked for my parents' newspaper, and now lives in Bismarck, North Dakota. She shared her recipe with me, which was the start of all this experimentation. Knoepfle is, to me, the ultimate comfort food. Cindy brought quart jars of the soothing mix to us when my father passed, and the warm, genuine sense of caring expressed by that soup went beyond even the kindest of words she shared. Indeed, I believe all fundamentally good people express caring for others in deeply meaningful ways. Stereotypically, Germans-from-Russia are very stoic people for whom expressions of emotion do not come easily. For them, surely dishes like knoepfle soup are the product of deep and sincere emotion that equals nothing short of love.
Ingredients for Knoepfle Dumplings
Ingredients for Soup
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Directions
Prepare bacon and chicken. In a large stock pot, heat chicken broth. While heating, prepare the knoepfle by mixing all dumpling ingredients very well to form a stiff dough. Pull pieces of dough using your fingers and drop them into the steadily boiling chicken broth. Dough pieces should be about the 3/8 inch in greatest dimension, though they'll enlarge as they cook. Once the surface of the broth is covered with floating knoepfle, stop dropping dough pieces, and allow the knoepfle to cook for about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the knoepfle from the boiling broth and place them in a colander to drain. Allowing them to drain and even dry slightly will keep the knoepfle from getting too soft. The texture should be like that of al dente pasta. Repeat this process until all knoepfle are cooked and set aside. This will deplete a significant amount of broth. While cooking the knoepfle in the pot, in a separate pan, combine the onions, celery, potatoes, 1/2 stick of butter, and cook until the potatoes are tender. I usually add some of the milk or chicken broth to the pan to aid in cooking these elements. When knoepfle is all prepared, pour the remaining milk into the remaining chicken stock. Add the celery salt, nutmeg, and thyme, and simmer to allow flavors to blend. Next, add the bacon, chicken, and cooked vegetables along with the remaining butter. Cook for at least five minutes. Finally, add the knoepfle and cook for another 5-10 min. Add garlic salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve hot with crusty bread for dipping. |