Wendy's Kitchen Table
Dumplings
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ cups plain flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon mixed herbs
2 tablespoons fresh finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese (optional)
100g butter
½ cup milk, approx
METHOD
If you have a food processor put all ingredients in excluding the milk and process until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Then slowly add milk to mix to a fine dough.
Alternatively, sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Stir in herbs and onion. Rub butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add enough milk to mix to fine dough
Drop spoonfuls of dough on top of boiling stew. Cover and cook for 10 mins or until dumplings are cooked through.
Variations: Press a cube of cheese into the centre. This is a basic recipe, experiment with different herbs and flavours.
Try in stews, soups and casseroles.
Add these tasty morsels to your favourite casserole, soup or stew.
Dumplings are a great winter comfort food. Homey, light and filling all at once.
Savoury dumplings made from balls of dough are part of traditional British and Irish cuisine. This British influence was obviously brought out to New Zealand with my ancestors as I remember having these as a kid frequently in stews. My children love them too.
Americans call them “Doughboys”. The Doughboys in World War 2 were an elite squad of airmen – maybe doughboys were named in honour of them.
Balls of this dough are dropped into a bubbling pot of stew or soup, or into a casserole. They sit, partly submerged in the stew, and expand as they are half-boiled half-steamed for ten minutes or so. The cooked dumplings are airy on the inside and moist on the outside. The dough may be flavoured with herbs, or it may have cheese pressed into its centre. These tasty morsels make a welcomed change from potatoes, rice, pasta and bread.