The last few days have been rainy and cold (well, cold for Virginia) and I thought a pot of knoephla soup was a great idea for last night. It was also a great time to teach my daughter how to make one of her favorite things. I don’t know the origin of this soup, but for me, it came from my German grandmothers. Both of my parents grew up on farms in North Dakota, and all of the ingredients of this soup come straight from the farm. It took less than an hour from beginning to eating (I did use one shortcut).
Knoephla Soup
3 quarts chicken stock
1/2 onion, chopped
1 carrot, shredded (optional, this is my addition)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup potato flakes (shortcut)
5 cups of flour
3 cups cold water (may not need all of the water)
salt and pepper
2 bay leaves
vinegar
Saute onions and carrot in oil until tender. While that is sauteing put flour in a large bowl and add about 2 teaspoons salt and a dash of pepper; stir to combine. Pour 1 cup of water into flour and mix to combine. Add water until you have created a sticky dough – it will be heavy. Set aside.
When onions are tender add chicken stock and bay leaves; bring to rolling boil. Drop dough by teaspoon into boiling soup. You’ll want to drop about 1/2 a teaspoon or smaller of dough to make bite size pieces. Stir occasionally while dropping. Boil 10 minutes.
Add potato flakes a little at a time and stir. Turn the heat down to a simmer and add the butter and cream. Stir and simmer until butter is melted. Spoon into bowls and serve. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to your bowl for a wonderful addition.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh, my gosh. I grew up in North Dakota, and this reminds me of the dumpfknudla that my grandmother made, only instead of putting it in soup, we boil the knudla and then fry it in onion and butter, and serve it with sausage and sauerkraut, and there is a little bit of baking powder in our dough. I can hardly wait to try this!
I hope you enjoy it Barbara. We had dumpfknudla too, but there are no recipes written down for so many wonderful German meals we grew up on. Would you be will to share your recipe? I’d love to make it.
What type of vinegar should be used? Cider, white, etc.??
Connie, I always use white vinegar…a little splash makes all the difference.