Overlooked Recipes

I put a stop to my website as of last September. I had been steadily working to add in to this blog all the recipes that had previously only been posted on the website, but inevitably, some get overlooked. I want to post three I discovered I had missed.

I have been horribly lax with working on my blog, or putting out a newsletter, or even cooking much of anything new. Why? I got into a project and it has occupied all my attention and interest for months, now. I periodically like to put together "books" with comb bindings for myself or for family. Often these are cookbooks of collected recipes for a family member, as well as being a quick reference for me. Sometimes I have dedicated myself to identifying flowers (as after a trip to California, with a slew of flowers I'd never seen before, living in the east) and making a small booklet, so I have them as a reference. I have done this with birds, using my own photos as well as photos my sisters had taken. We love birds. That book was immense, and it is in a large binder. Another was butterflies. Most often it has been recipes just because I love to cook.

Cactus Flower

The one that has occupied my time these past three months or so has been any and all plant photos taken in Arizona. I had visited AZ a fair bit in past, as one of my sisters lives here, but really never thought to live here myself. But, here I am, and now I am seeing cactus plants and wondering what kind they are, or other plants in general. While some seemed very straightforward, having been labeled, others not so much. And I have spent countless hours researching online. The last in a long line of plant types are succulents, and soon I will be wrapping up this project. I still have orphan plants I cannot identify, no matter how long I search. Alas. 

So back to these missed recipes. I just found that I had omitted them yesterday, and was horrified, because they are some favorites. So, without further ado:

Turkey or Chicken Tetrazzini

Serves 6

Turkey Tetrazzini

6 ounces spaghetti
¼cup butter
½ cup flour
2¾ cups chicken broth
1 cup light cream or evaporated milk
¼ cup dry sherry
1 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
1 can sliced mushrooms, drained (6 oz. can)
½ cup green pepper, chopped
1 small jar chopped pimiento, drained
2 cups diced cooked turkey, or chicken
½ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water till just barely tender; drain. In a large skillet melt butter; blend in flour. Stir in broth, whisking so no lumps form. Add cream. Cook and stir till mixture thickens and bubbles. Add the wine, salt, pepper, spaghetti, mushrooms, green pepper, pimiento and cooked turkey. Turn into a 12 x 7½ x 2" baking dish. Sprinkle top with Parmesan. Bake @ 350 for about 30 minutes.

NOTES: I have on occasion tripled this recipe for a party. Divide the mixture into two 9 x 13 inch pans, and add on about 10 minutes of cooking time, or until it is bubbling all through.

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Smoky Pork BBQ Ribs

1 (3½ pound) rack pork loin ribs

Smoky Pork BBQ Ribs

6 - 8 tablespoons Sweet Smoky Cocoa Rub
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
3 cups mesquite wood for smoking
½ cup Sweet Tangy BBQ Sauce

Early in the day, soak the wood chips in water to cover, for at least 2 hours or more. Pat the Sweet Smoky Cocoa Rub onto both sides of the slab of pork ribs, plus 1 teaspoon of the salt per side, and allow to stand at room temperature, while the wood chips are soaking; 2 hours.

Once the wood chips have soaked long enough, cut two sheets of foil. Place half the wood chips onto each piece of foil and make a packet enclosing the wood and poke holes into the top.

At least 5 hours before you want the ribs done, start the grill, heating only one side. Once grill is ready, place the slab of ribs onto the hottest side and allow to sear well, about 10 minutes. Flip over and sear the other side for about 10 minutes. Move the ribs to the unheated side of the grill. Set one of the wood chip packets onto the hot side of the grill. Close the lid and monitor the temperature, keeping it relatively low; below 300 degrees if possible for at least 2 hours. Midway between, if the first wood chip packet has stopped smoking, place the second packet onto the hot side of the grill, to keep up the smoking. 

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Once the ribs have spent at least 2 hours on the grill, prepare a sheet of foil large enough to completely enclose the slab of ribs and set it into a large baking sheet with sides. Remove the ribs from the grill and set onto the large foil sheet. Cover the top with ½ cup of Sweet Tangy BBQ Sauce and then fold the foil around the ribs, completely enclosing them. Place the baking sheet into the oven and allow to bake slowly for another 2 to 2½ hours, until completely tender.

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Tzatziki Sauce

Makes about 1½ cups sauce

Tzatziki Sauce

1 cup plain Greek yogurt or 1½ cups other plain yogurt
½ cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, diced small (optional)
2 tablespoons good quality olive oil

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced finely
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

If using a good quality Greek yogurt such as Fage brand, you may not have to drain the yogurt. If using other brands or the larger amount of just plain yogurt, set the yogurt into a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl. Place in the refrigerator and allow to drain for at least 1 hour or more.

If raw garlic upsets the stomach, set the minced garlic into a small bowl and just barely cover with vinegar. Allow to stand for at least 10 minutes, then drain. This removes the raw taste. Add to the recipe and continue.

Discard the yogurt liquid. Place the drained yogurt into a bowl. Add the olive oil. vinegar, garlic, dill and salt and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning. If using cucumber, stir in. 

Note: Cucumber, while true to the recipe, will add liquid if it sets for too long, making the mixture runny. If using cucumber, it may be best to stir in just before serving. Use this tzatziki when serving Falafel or Butternut Squash Falafel. 

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

An Idea for Leftover Turkey or Chicken

I realize that not everyone has leftover turkey in September. I did happen to bake a turkey breast recently, and even with just the breast, there were leftovers. Plenty of them, really. 

I have a very old cookbook, "Better Homes and Gardens Favorite Ways with Chicken, Turkey, Duck and Game Birds," copyright 1967. Long title, but the part that is biggest and boldest is just "Favorite Ways with Chicken." Chicken and turkey can be interchanged in a recipe, so this book has been very handy over the years. The difficulty lay in the fact that when I began learning to cook, I was in Guatemala, where many of the things called for just did not exist. Like canned soup. If anyone is fond of reaching for a can of soup to make a sauce or gravy, not having them is a distinct disadvantage. 
 

Turkey Crepe Casserole

When I went to Guatemala, I was just 20 years old. Just barely out of teenage, and still very full of myself, with all the pride and hubris only a teenager can have. It is only later, when one looks back on her life that this becomes very apparent. And yet, without all that, I may never have managed to learn all that I did. I learned, not just to cook things I knew of from home, but new foods, some I'd never heard of prior to my time there. I went about learning all I possibly could. I felt I needed to prove myself. Prove I was a good housewife and mother. Learn the language, so I could understand and be understood. I applied myself diligently, although sometimes kicking and screaming.

So, when looking through this cookbook, I found the idea of making crepes quite interesting. I didn't generally have access to turkey, but chicken? Yes, of course. And then I ran into the problem of canned soup. I did know that a creamed soup straight from the can was thick, and had to be diluted. So, I felt I could create a similar product by making a roux and adding less liquid to keep it thick. The liquid would have to be well flavored, to be able to flavor the casserole. At that time I did use bouillon cubes. The ones most commonly available in Guatemala were "Maggi" brand. As it turned out, this approach worked out well, and I have made the recipe the same ever since. Except I don't use bouillon cubes anymore, because of the amount of salt and MSG. Instead, these days I use either a chicken "base" or a chicken demi-glace for the chicken flavor I am looking for. 

Back at that time in Guatemala, I kept milk in the house, as I had growing kids, and I did eat cereal. These days, I don't keep milk in the house, as we don't drink it, nor do we eat cereal (except for me and oatmeal, but no milk there either). What I do keep is either heavy cream or evaporated milk, and usually both, in case of need, such as this. So when mixing milk into some of the faux "can of soup" mixture, I either dilute the cream or the evaporated milk with half water and use that. 

Ultimately, the recipe is fantastic, making use of some leftover cooked chicken or turkey, albeit in very small portion. It is delicious, and with a salad and some green beans alongside, a very nice and satisfying meal indeed, whether as a dinner or as a brunch.

Turkey (or Chicken) Crepe Casserole

Turkey Crepe Casserole

Serving size 2 - 3 crepes

CREPES:
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour

FILLING:
1 cup finely diced cooked turkey or chicken
1 (9 - 10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
¼ cup Panko crumbs
¼ cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup finely minced shallot

CHICKEN BECHAMEL:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon chicken "base" or chicken demi-glace
1¼ cup hot water
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1 cup milk
½ cup sliced almonds

Make Crepes: Beat egg, milk, melted butter and flour, either with a whisk or a blender, until smooth. Do not over beat. Heat a small (7 to 10-inch) nonstick skillet. Lightly grease the skillet (nonstick cooking spray works well). Pour in 2 tablespoons of the batter and lift the pan, swirling the batter to as large a circle possible. Set pan on heat and allow the top of the crepe to become dry, similarly to a pancake. Remove the crepe to a plate and repeat this procedure, 2 tablespoons at a time, until you have 12 crepes, lightly browned on the bottoms but not the top. Set them aside.
 

Making Crepes

Make the Filling: Combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Make the Bechamel: Mix together the hot water and the chicken "base" or demiglace, stirring until dissolved together. Set aside to cool while beginning the sauce. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Once melted, stir in the flour, salt and white pepper until smooth. Add in the chicken base mixture, stirring, until the mixture is thick. Pour half of this thickened mixture into the Filling mixture, as a binder, stirring to incorporate.

To the remainder of the bechamel, add the last cup of milk and stir well. Set aside.
 

Filling crepes and arranging in casserole

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have ready a 9 x 13-inch casserole, lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Set one crepe, unbrowned side upwards. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of filling onto one end of the crepe and roll up. Set into the casserole, then repeat with the remaining crepes and filling. 

Once filled, pour the remaining bechamel mixture over top of the crepes. Sprinkle with the sliced almonds. Bake the casserole for 30 minutes, until bubbling. 

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Turkey Pot Pie a Great Way to Use Leftover Turkey

Okay, this is my 2nd dish using some of our leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. By now, if you haven't used all your turkey up yet, you might be thinking about freezing some of it for later use. We ate the soup I made for a couple of days and I made this pot pie yesterday, to have some change going on in meals. Pot Pies, when I was growing up, came in little freezer boxes, in their own individual tiny pie tins, with both top and bottom crust. I loved those things. I am a true fan of the soggy bottom crust. I know everyone these days seem to be fixated on how to make the bottom crust of a pie crispy. All I can ask is why? I was out looking at recipes for others' pot pies and even saw one site where someone put the bottom crust in the oven first for 15 minutes, before adding in the filling and fitting with the top crust. If this suits you, then you might try this method. Not me.

If you have some pie dough in the freezer, you have a big part of this dish done already; just get it out and thaw. Preparation of this dish can also be divided up. Once the vegetables are cooked, the whole thing can be chilled to pick up later and continue. If you have to make the pie crust from scratch, which I did, you will want to make it earlier in the day or even the day before and chill it, so it's ready when you need it. I always use my Never Fail Pie Crust, since it makes large amounts. These recipes make enough for 3 (10-inch) pie crusts. Since this pie is made in a 10-inch pie plate, and uses a double crust, you will have enough for this recipe, plus one crust worth left to freeze for another use. 

Turkey Pot Pie

What Flavors?

Getting started, I thought about what vegetables I wanted in my pot pie. Most any vegetables can go in it, but I wanted the regular vegetables I know in pot pies, namely, onion, celery, carrot, potatoes and peas. Though my love for those little individual frozen pot pies was great, at this time in my life I was also looking for ways to heighten flavor. Using homemade turkey stock is wonderful, if it is available. Unfortunately I used all my stock in the soup I made a few days back. On to plan B: I used a bit of "chicken base" in warm water. This provided most of the salt needed in the recipe, also. Another trick to heighten flavor is to use wine of some sort. Adding wine and then completely cooking it out, until the pan is dry, gives a huge boost to flavor, with no residual alcohol. A third thing is the use of Worcestershire. It doesn't take much to really add flavor; just a tablespoon or so is enough. If, perchance, you can find the Lea & Perrins Chicken Worcestershire ("The Rooster-Booster" it says on the label), so much the better. Last but not least, herbs. I used some dry sage and thyme.

Getting Started

The first thing to start off the filling is gently sauteeing, or "sweating" the vegetables. In other words, you are not going for browning the vegetables, but only softening. I started with half the butter I planned to use, 2 tablespoons, and melted it in a large skillet. I added in the vegetables: onion, celery and carrot, and sweated them for about 10 or 12 minutes on medium low heat. The garlic was added after this time period, and only cooked another minute or so. At this point, I added in some Dry Sherry. Another dry white wine will do fine. Make sure if you do use Sherry, that it is one of the dry ones like Fino. There was no Fino Sherry in the store here, but I used one called Dry Sack, which worked perfectly. On absolutely NO account should you ever use anything called "Cooking Sherry!" If you cannot drink it, you should not use it in food. Once the Sherry or other dry white wine is added, allow this liquid to simmer out completely, until all that is left are the little oily beads from the butter in the pan.  Now add in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to melt.

Sweating vegetables, add garlic, add the wine, allow wine to evaporate, add in the remaining butter

Making the Sauce

The next step in this process is making a roux. I expounded at some length on making roux in my post of November 25th, Two Methods to Make Great Turkey Gravy. Basically, flour is added to a melted fat of choice and stirred until the two are totally combined and sandy looking. Then, a cool liquid is added and stirred until the mixture thickens. Once the second bit of butter was added to the vegetables in the pan and thoroughly melted, the flour went in and was mixed until no white was remaining. Now is the time to add the chicken stock, water, or a mixture of water and chicken "base" or bouillon cubes. Stirring until this thickened, now the sage and thyme were added, with the Chicken Worcestershire and the cubed potatoes. The potatoes can be peeled or not, as desired. In my house they MUST be peeled! Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Flour added and stirred in completely, stock added then stir until thickened; add potatoes & cook

Finishing the Filling

Once the potatoes are tender, this is the time to set the dish aside until later, if time does not permit finalizing the dish at once. The mixture can be cooled and refrigerated until next day, or just set aside until later, while preparing other things. If the vegetable mixture was chilled, make sure it is heated through before continuing. If continuing immediately, this is the time to fit the bottom pie crust into your pie plate. Roll out the top crust and leave aside until ready. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Chicken Worcestershire, mixture warms, add peas, parsley & sour cream,
stir thoroughly and add turkey & cheese

When ready to proceed, have the remaining ingredients handy. Add in the peas, parsley and sour cream and mix thoroughly. No need to cook. Add in the cubed turkey and the cheese and combine. 

How to Make the Pot Pie

Once the bottom pastry crust is in the pie plate, make sure that the pastry is eased well into the plate. It should not tug at the sides at all. Once it is well settled in the plate, use a small paring knife to trim flush against the outer edge of the plate. Set the top crust into place, then trim the top crust so it extends at least ½-inch beyond the edge of the plate. Tuck this extra width of pastry underneath the edge of the bottom crust. Crimp the edges as desired. Poke various small vent holes into the top crust and bake the pot pie for 20 minutes at 425 degrees. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 30 to 35 minutes more, turning the pie to brown evenly. If the crust gets too browned, cover the edges with foil.

filling into pastry      |   top cruse set in place & trimmed  |    fold top crust under       |      crimp and vent      |          baked   

Once the pie is done, allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting. Here is the recipe:

Turkey Pot Pie

Turkey Pot Pie

Makes one 10-inch pot pie. Serves at least 6.

¼ cup unsalted butter, divided
1 cup onion chopped
1 to 1¼ cup chopped celery
1 to 1¼ cup chopped carrot
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup dry Sherry or white wine¼ cup all-purpose flour1 teaspoon dry sage leaves (<1/2 teaspoon if powdered)½ teaspoon dry thyme leaves (1/4 teaspoon if powdered)
1½ cup chicken or turkey stock, water, or combination of 1 1/2 cup water and 1 1/2 teaspoons bouillon or base
1½ cups cubed potato
1 tablespoon Worcestershire or Chicken Worcestershire½ teaspoon ground black pepper
salt, if needed
1 cup frozen peas
2½ cups cubed, cooked turkey
¼ cup minced parsley
1 cup sour cream
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
pastry for double-crust 10-inch pie

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet. Add in the onion, celery and carrot, and sweat them for about 10 or 12 minutes on medium low heat. Add garlic and cook another 1 or so minutes. Add in the dry Sherry or white wine. Allow this liquid to evaporate out completely, until all that is left are the little oily beads from the butter in the pan. Now add in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to melt.

Once butter is melted, add in the flour and mix until there is no white left showing. Pour in the stock or other liquid, stirring until the mixture thickens. Add in the Worcestershire and potatoes, stir and cover the pan. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

DO AHEAD: If necessary, the dish can be prepared to this point, cooled and refrigerated. Once ready to continue with the recipe, slowly reheat the mixture thoroughly before proceeding.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roll out the bottom pie pastry and fit it into a 10-inch pie plate, easing it gently into the plate, so there is no pulling from the edges. With a small paring knife, trim the edge flush with the plate. Roll out the top crust and leave it aside.

Finish the filling: To the warm mixture in the pan, first add the peas, parsley and sour cream and stir in until well combined. Add in the cubed turkey and the shredded cheese and stir to combine. Pour this mixture into the prepared crust. The filling is generous!

Top with the second pie crust, easing it over the filling. With a small knife or kitchen shears, trim the top crust so it extends about ½-inch beyond the edge of the pit plate. Tuck the top crust underneath the bottom crust edge all around. Crimp or flute the edge all around. Pierce small holes with a knife all over the top of the pastry. Place it in the oven. Set the timer for 20 minutes. Once this 20 minutes is up, rotate the pie and lower the temperature to 350 degrees. Set the timer for 30 to 35 minutes more. If the crust edges become too browned during this time, cover the edges with foil to finish baking. Allow the pie to cool and set for 30 minutes before cutting.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Now for the Uses of Leftover Turkey

Once Thanksgiving passes, or Christmas, or any time there is a whole turkey involved, you will likely have leftovers. One is constantly looking for a new way to use them up. Aside from the meal involved with Thanksgiving, which is a personal favorite among meals, I love the leftovers best. There are always ways to use leftover turkey. And the best thing is that even though though many of these recipes specifically call for turkey, they can also be made with leftover chicken, or even a rotisserie chicken, making the whole thing much faster.

Turkey Vegetable Soup with Butter Dumplings

Turkey soup is a tradition in many families. Mine was not one of them. I once tried using the picked-over carcass to make a soup, to please my husband. Truly, I could not see what the fuss was about. I thought the soup was completely bland. I have made stock many a time over the years, using raw parts of whichever animal was available at the time. I also have, on occasion, roasted beef soup bones before making the stock, and that was great. I think what was missing from that soup made with a picked-over turkey carcass was pan drippings. That is what really makes the flavor pop. If your pan drippings from the turkey all went towards making stellar gravy, then one is just, sadly, out of luck on that score.

So, it was with some trepidation that I made a Turkey Vegetable Soup a couple of days ago, with one whole leg/thigh portion of our turkey from last week. I also thought to make dumplings for the soup, just because I haven't made dumplings for a very long time. 

The first thing I did was remove the skin from the leg and thigh, insofar as it was possible. I did this because while our turkey tasted perfectly seasoned, I did have a reaction to the salt. I realize that most of the salt was absorbed into the turkey before roasting, but there was still salt on the skin, so the skin came off, despite the possible addition of flavor to the soup. My husband likes soups that have heft to them. Either a creamed soup, or a soup with so many things in it that a spoon nearly stands up on its own. I really love vegetable soups, adding in anything at all that I have on hand. This soup was not much different. I had less vegetables on hand than I do at some times, but I had enough. My turkey was a smaller one, at 13 pounds, and after cooking the whole leg and thigh in the soup, I had close to 4 cups of turkey meat. If you had a very large bird, calculate accordingly.

Ultimately, the results were stunningly good. Here is what I did:

Turkey Vegetable Soup with Butter Dumplings

Turkey Vegetable Soup

Makes about 10 cups

2 - 3 tablespoons butter or oil
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, diced (1 1/2 cups)
2 - 3 carrots, scrubbed and diced (1 1/2 cups)
2 - 3 stalks celery, cubed (1 cup)
1 large parsnip, peeled, diced (1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 whole leg and thigh of a roasted turkey, approximately 3½ to 4 cups meat worth
8 cups turkey or chicken stock, or water
1 large potato, peeled, cubed (1 1/2 to 2 cups)
½ teaspoon saffron threads, optional
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 small bunch parsley
1 small bunch cilantro
3 cups diced cabbage
2 cups peeled, cubed butternut squash
1 cup frozen peas

Sweated vegetables, turkey leg & thigh, and soup ready to cook

In a large soup pot, melt the butter and add in the onion, bell pepper, carrots, celery and parsnip. Sweat the vegetables (cook without browning) for about 10 minutes. Add in the minced garlic and stir for another 2 or 3 minutes. Set the turkey parts on top of the vegetables and add in the stock or water. Add the potato, saffron threads if using, pepper and bay leaf. Using kitchen twine, tie the small bunches of parsley and cilantro together (for easy removal later) and add to the pot. Bring to boil, lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook for at least an hour, until the meat falls easily from the bone. Remove the turkey from the pot to a plate to cool.

Turkey removed to cool, soup so far, squash & cabbage added in

Add the cabbage and squash to the pot, cover and continue to cook while working with the turkey meat. Once cool enough to handle, remove all meat from bones, discarding the bones, tendons and skin, if remaining. Cut the meat into small bits and return them to the pot. Taste the soup for seasoning. My turkey was salted enough that I only needed to add 1/2 teaspoon salt to the large pot. If using a salted stock, be careful to taste before adding more salt. Allow the soup to cook for another half hour, or until all the vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaf and the tied bundle of parsley and cilantro and discard. Add in the frozen peas and cook only until the peas are warmed through, 5 or so minutes.

meat removed from bones, the meat cubed, then added back to soup

The dumplings idea sort of stayed in my head after watching The Chew, where Michael Symon was making his "Pap's" turkey soup with ham and dumplings. I have a recipe I used to make in past, but my dumpling dough was far thinner than the one Michael Symon made. I made a decision to update my dumpling recipe. The dumplings can be made with two spoons, or doing it as Michael Symon did, sliding portions off a board. I did make my dumplings much smaller. I hate having to try and cut something in a very hot liquid. Method to my madness. The chives idea looked pretty when Michael Symon made his dumplings, and since I still had a little bit of fresh chives still growing in my sun room, I used them. Finely minced scallion or even shallot would work also. The dumpling batter can be made earlier in the day, to cook later.

Butter & Chive Dumplings

¾ cup all-purpose flour (3.4 ounces)
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons fresh chives, minced

Mix dumpling dough, spread on small board, paring knife to portion

Place the first three dry ingredients into a small bowl. Add the soft butter and rub the butter into the dry ingredients using fingers, or sliging the whole mixture across palms, until it has become flaky looking. Add in the beaten eggs and stir to combine. Add the chives and stir.

Either dampen or lightly oil a small cutting board or other flat surface with no edge or lip. Place the dumpling batter on this surface and smooth out to about 1/4 inch thick. Moisten the top or spray with cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for at least an hour, or until the soup is ready.

Heat a pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Begin sliding bits of the dumpling dough into the water. I used two 4-inch paring knives. I slid one small length of dough about 1/2 x 2-inches on one knife, then used the second knife to cut that bit in half, dropping the two smaller pieces into the water. You can make them larger if desired. The dumplings are cooked once they rise to the surface of the water. Remove them with a slotted spoon to the pot of soup. Repeat until all the dumpling dough is used. and added to the soup pot.

A most delicious Turkey Vegetable Soup with Butter & Chive Dumplings

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.