Chicken Barley Soup with Parsley Dumplings

What is better than a warm bowl of soup  on a chilly Winter's evening?  One that has dumplings !  It's strange for me to write Dumplings because I grew up knowing these fluffy pillows of flour as Doughboys.  Regardless of the name, nothing can warm  the tummy than this  creamy thick bowl of goodness.

Ingredients :  (for 2-3 people)

3 chicken drumstick

2 chicken breasts
3 can chicken broth
1 cup water

1/2 barley
1 tsp fresh Thyme
1 Bay Leaf
2 celery stalk, chopped
2 large carrots, diced
12-14 baby red potatoes, quartered
1 Tb fresh garlic, minced

3 Tb fresh chopped Parsley

French Gray Sea Salt

Fresh Cracked Pepper

In a large pot, add chicken pieces and chicken broth, Bay Leaf and Barley Over medium high heat, cook chicken about 35-40 minutes until chciken is cooked through.

Remove chicken from pot. Set aside until the pieces cool off somewhat, enough so you can take of the meat from the bones.  Shred into bite size pieces.

To the pot add potatoes,  carrots, celery, thyme and parsley.  Cook for about 15 minutes. Add chicken back into the pot.  Reduce heat to a simmer.

*If the broth has reduced too much, you can add more chicken broth.


Meanwhile make the dumplings, this is what you will need :

1 cup flour
1 1/2 T Baking Powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 TB cold butter
1/4 milk
Parsley

In a bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.  With a pastry cutter or fork, cut butter into the flour mixture until crumbly, add the parsley.  Add the milk and blend all ingredients until it forms into a ball.  Pinch off each piece and form into 6 large balls.  With a spoon, lower the dumplings into the soup, cover and cook for about 15-20 minutes until the dumplings float and are big and fluffy. 

* check center for donesness is necessary.

Enjoy Every Bite !

Alaska Summer Fish Soup (recipe)

July 17-2009

It's raining , it's pouring, my old man is snoring (the Hubs)...so I'm going to make a fish soup while he sleeps.

We are on Kodiak Island, Alaska for the Summer and wanted to start cooking seafood dishes right away. I feel good when I am cooking and in my element when I'm in the kitchen. Off to the market - I bought some shrimp, scallops , crab and tilapia. I also check out the stock and broth aisle to see if there is anything interesting and I find a wine and herb stock...impressive for a small city such as Kodiak, I buy it !

This is my fish soup!

Ingredients & How To

3 cups of the wine and herb stock
1 cup water
1 cup white wine
3 red potatoes, diced
Cook potatoes until tender.
Add :
1 cup small shrimp
1 cup chopped crab meat
2 cups of chopped tilapia
2 cup of chopped scallops
Add :
2 carrots, shredded
2 large can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 small can tomato paste
1 small onion, diced
1-2 Tb of garlic, minced
pinch of saffron
zest of an orange
1 TB of Herb de Provence
4 Tb of olive oil
1 Tb kosher salt
fresh cracked black pepper to my tasting.

These are guessed estimates... I don't have a recipe that I go by.... adjust to your own taste as you go along.
The soup was delicious and I have to say the best soup I think I have made or a close second. I'll share the first favorite with you another time. I love the saffron flavor and the burst of orange zest. I tasted the wine and herb stock beforehand and it was a rich stock full of flavor.... probably played a role in the taste as well. I served this with a warm crusty sourdough baguette. I ate slowly...savoring every bite. Simple to make, oh so easy to eat !

Enjoy every bite !