Chicken Soup with Peas and Dumplings
Fresh early summer soup with Italian influences.
It's more practical to make this soup if you have leftover chicken broth from the weekend. My grandmother cooked a huge pot of soup on Sunday and gave me 2 liters, so on Monday I just simmered it with aromatics and peas and added homemade dumplings. If you don't feel like or don't have time to make them, you can replace them with lasagna sheets torn into pieces or orzo pasta. You can also make this soup with broccoli florets or asparagus instead of peas.
Ingredients
1.5 l chicken broth
50 g prosciutto crudo (end pieces)
rind from a wedge of parmesan (about 50 g)
350 g fresh peas
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (optional)
a few sprigs of parsley
Flour Dumplings
2 eggs
100 g all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Servings: 4-5
How to prepare chicken soup with peas and dumplings
- Prepare the chicken broth and strain it (you can follow the recipe here; you can use chicken pieces for the broth). Put 1.5 l of broth in a pot.
- Add the parmesan rind and prosciutto piece (if frozen, add directly from freezer). Simmer the soup on low heat with a lid for 45 minutes to infuse well. Check the soup while cooking and skim the foam that rises to the surface.
* I freeze parmesan rinds when I finish the cheese - they're ideal for flavoring soups or cream soups
** I buy prosciutto end pieces from the Italian store; the ends that can no longer be sliced nicely are sold at a reduced price; I bought 500 g of prosciutto end, cut it into approximately 50 g cubes and froze them; I use them to flavor soups - Strain the soup. Put back on heat and add the peas. Simmer with a lid on medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
- Beat the eggs with salt. Add the flour and mix just until incorporated. Bring a pot of salted water to boil. When boiling, reduce heat to low and form dumplings either with this tool or by tearing off small pieces with a teaspoon. After forming all of them, let simmer for another 3-5 minutes on low heat.
- Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon and add to the soup. Add the chopped parsley. Taste the soup - it's good sweet as is, but if you want it tangy, add a little lemon juice. Serve warm, sprinkled with a little grated parmesan.
The soup simmering
Strained soup
Parmesan rind and prosciutto piece (frozen)
Add the dumplings after the peas are cooked
