Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (about 1.25kg), jointed into portions
3 onions
3.5l water
4 carrots, sliced thickly
1 small parsnip, halved
3 tbsp fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
3 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
2 generous pinches of ground turmeric
2 chicken stock cubes
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
For the Dumplings:
175g medium matzo meal
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 onion, finely grated
2 pinches of chicken stock powder
90ml water
chopped parsley, to garnish
Method:
Arrange the chicken pieces in the base of a large pan. Peel each onion then cut a large cross in the base of each. Add these, whole, to the pan with the carrots, celery, parsnip, parsley, 1 tbsp dill, turmeric and water. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Cover the pan, bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Skim all the scum from the surface of the soup and discard this. When no more scum rises crumble in the stock cubes then cover the pan and simmer gently for about 150 minutes. At this point, skim off all the fat from the surface.
For the dumplings, combine the matzo meal, eggs, oil, garlic, parsley and onion in a bowl. Season to taste and add a little stock powder. Add the water and mix the ingredients together until you have a thick, soft, paste.
Cover the bowl of dumpling batter, place in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes. The mixture will firm-up during this time. In the meantime, bring a pan of water to a boil. When the dumpling batter has chilled bring to the stove. Dip two tablespoons into the water then take a spoonful of the matzo batter. Using wet hands, roll the mixture into balls. Gently slip these into the boiling water then reduce to a simmer. Continue forming the dumpling balls and adding to the pan of water until all the dumpling mixture has been used up.
Cover the pan when the last balls have been added and cook for about 15 minutes or until the dumplings are firm and cooked through. Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon then transfer to a plate and set aside to cool and firm-up for 20 minutes.
When ready to serve, re-heat the soup and add the remaining dill. Place 2 or 3 dumplings in each warmed serving bowl, ladle over the soup, garnish with parsley and serve.
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