Veg soup with bacon dumplings
Ingredients
- 50 g butter
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 leek diced, white and green parts kept separate
- 300 g swede diced
- 300 g parsnip diced
- 300 g carrot diced
- 2 celery sticks diced
- 4 sage stems
- 2.5 litres chicken stock
- salt and pepper
Dumplings
- 100 g self-raising flour
- ½ teaspoon English mustard powder
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped sage
- 50 g vegetable suet
- 2 smoked streaky bacon rashers finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and white diced leeks and fry for 5 minutes until just beginning to soften. Add the other diced vegetables and sage, toss in the butter then cover and fry for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Pour on the stock, season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender. Remove the sage then taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Make the dumplings by mixing the flour, mustard powder, sage, suet and bacon in a bowl with a little salt and pepper. Gradually stir in the water and mix first with a spoon, then squeeze together with your hands to make a smooth dough. Cut into 18 slices and roll each slice into a into small ball.
- Stir the remaining green diced leek into the soup. Add the dumplings to the simmering soup, re-cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes until the dumplings are light and fluffy. Ladle into bowls and serve immediately.
Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:
For creamy winter vegetable soup, omit the dumplings and reduce the amount of stock to 1.5 litres (3 pints). Simmer for 45 minutes then purée in batches in a blender or food processor. Pour back into the saucepan, stir in 300 ml (½ pint) milk and reheat. Ladle into bowls, swirl 2 tablespoons of double cream into each portion and garnish with a little chopped sage and some crispy diced bacon.
