curry dumpling soup

so, i had eggnog coffee cake for breakfast, and if i didn’t make lunch, i was going to eat the pie from yesterday [see below, below].

the other night after the baked chicken curry [see below, below, below], i took all of the large pieces of meat off the bone that were left, and put the chicken carcass [i know, horrible word] in a pot with a large carrot, a medium onion, a stalk of celery, a bouquet garni*, half a quart of chicken stock i had leftover in the fridge, and water to cover the contents. i put it on the back burner and have been simmering it for two days. today, it’s time to make soup.

put a fine sieve over a soup pot, and strain the contents of the stockpot. many people use cheesecloth, which filters out more of the smaller contents of the stock, but unless i’m using it for a recipe that demands very clean stock, i like the texture.

there are a few ways to defat the stock. if you have not boiled your stock [homogenizing the stock and the fat together], the fat floats to the top, making it easy to remove.

first, there are stock decanters where the spout originates from the bottom, and you can pour out the stock, leaving the fat. second, you can allow the stock to cool completely and simply pull the fat off the top as it solidifies when cold. or, the method i use, which is, no surprise, the fastest and laziest method, is to use a large ladle to skim the fat from the top. gently push the ladle into the stock flush with the top of the liquid. slowly tilt your hand and allow the fat to siphon itself into the ladle. do a little at a time, so you don’t lose much of the stock. it seems to help if i hold my breath.

while the residual stock parts are still warm, i go through it with my hands, picking out the pieces of meat left behind. some people don’t use this meat, as it loses a lot of flavor and the texture is not optimum, but i can’t stand throwing out stuff that could otherwise be used; hey, it’s lean protein!

dice a large carrot and put it in your beautiful stock. at this point you need to season the stock. you are next going to poach the dumplings in the stock, and you want it to be seasoned; the dumplings are better if poached with seasoned liquid.

if you have not made your own stock, heat some good chicken stock you have purchased [choose products made from poultry not treated with hormones]. this soup has a mild curry flavor; if you would like a bit more, add some now by 1/4 teaspoons until you have the flavor you want. if you are making this from scratch and not from stock made from the leftover baked curry chicken, add the curry when you start the stock; it’s better when the flavors meld over time. add salt and pepper to taste.

while the carrots are simmering away, prepare THE DUMPLINGS:

serve your daughter irish steel- cut oatmeal cooked with dried cherries and raisins for breakfast. don’t let her eat all of it, set aside.

beat 2 eggs with 1/2 cup of water. add 1/2 t salt and 1/2 t curry powder. add 1 and
1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup of the cooked, reserved oatmeal [chop cherries and raisins into smaller pieces if you like], 3/8 t of baking powder, and a bit of freshly grated nutmeg. combine. don’t beat the hell out of it, they will get tough.

make sure the soup is at a simmer, not a boil. drop the dumpling batter into the center of the simmering liquid by large spoonfuls. they will sink. as you make them, they will float to the top and begin crowding the pot. when you drop in the last few, make sure to scoot the already- poached dumplings away from the new one so it can sink and not stick to the others. the stock will also cool slightly as you make the dumplings, allow the stock to come back to a simmer before adding another.

add the reserved chicken [and any leftover meat from when it was baked, skin removed, chopped] and a handful or two of shredded spinach. allow the spinach to wilt, then spoon the soup into a bowl. i had my bowl with a very hoppy IPA.
now i can have pie.

a *bouquet garni is a sachet that is put into stock to flavor it. i use a huge tea ball,
but most of my life i used cheesecloth, tied with kitchen string. combine parsley stems,
a bay leaf or two, peppercorns, a clove of garlic [optional] and a sprig of fresh thyme [also, optional]. i did not add the garlic and thyme for the curry soup, there was plenty of flavor with the seasoning that was on the baked chicken, but you could with no fowl consequences. that pun was for dad. make a little bundle with the cheesecloth and tie with kitchen string. bury it in your stock pot.

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