Knoephla Soup

Last night, I was watching a documentary on PBS about the Germans from Russia that are so common in North Dakota.  It was a very interesting program, especially so for me because my grandparents on my dad's side are part of that culture.  Recently, I have heard my grandpa talk more and more about what it was like to be a youngster in a very large, poor farming family in Western ND.  My grandpa could have been one of those interviewed, his story was so like others that went through the same hard times.  I think he would really enjoy the program, I believe it was called Of Earth and Sky.  One interesting tidbit that my grandpa recently told me, was that he never actually had a birth certificate.  He was born at harvesting time and his family did not have the time to take care of it during that busy season.  It was apparently, forgotten and never did happen.  In the grand scheme of things, those times are not long behind us, but things have certainly changed dramatically.

One piece of my Germans from Russia heritage is Knoephla soup.  I grew up eating this, often with premade "knoephla dumplings" that a local company called Baker Boy makes.  We always made the recipe on the back of that package.  Recently, I started wondering how hard it would really be to do it entirely from scratch.  I came up with this recipe and I am really happy with it.  I also like the fact that it contains much less than the entire stick of butter the Baker Boy recipe calls for.

Knoephla Soup

2 Tbsp. butter

2-3 carrots, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

2 Tbsp. chicken base

2 Qts. water

3-4 potatoes, peeled & diced

3-4 bay leaves

1/2 tsp. dill weed, optional

1/2 tsp black pepper (or to taste), optional

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 c. cream

Dough:

2 c. flour

2 eggs

1 tsp. salt

1/2 c. milk

Melt butter over medium-high heat in a large stockpot.  Add carrots, celery, and onion.  Saute until the vegetables are crisp tender and onion is beginning to turn translucent.  

Add 2 Qts. water, chicken base, potatoes, bay leaves, dill weed, and pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.  

Meanwhile, combine dough ingredients and knead until smooth and elastic.  I like to throw mine in my kitchen aide mixer and let the bread hook attachment do the work for me:)  Lightly flour your counter and gently roll out dough into a "rope" (approximately 1" in diameter).  Use a pizza cutter or knife to slice the dough in 1" increments.  As you slice, add the cut dumplings to the soup.  Let simmer for 5 more minutes.  

Combine cream of chicken soup and cream with a whisk.  Add to soup.  Let simmer for 2 more minutes.  

Enjoy!  

Borscht

Borscht is a true comfort food for me.  I think I can speak for many members of my family that would agree.  My grandmother made borscht often.  She made it without measuring anything, like so many cooks in her day.  I have been experimenting with it for a while now, and I decided to update my previous borscht post, because I have much improved my technique!  If you try this, let me know what you think!

Here is what you will need.  You may notice that I have coleslaw mix in the picture.  I substituted coleslaw mix for the cabbage and carrots which worked out great.  I used about 5-5 1/2 cups of coleslaw mix.

Borscht Soup

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2-1 lb. beef stew meat, cut into small pieces
1/2 c. onion, minced

3 Qts. water

4 c. chopped cabbage
2 small carrots, shredded

3-15 oz. cans diced beets, drained

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2-1 c. peas or green beans, fresh or frozen is fine

14 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained (can sub fresh)

2 tsp. seasoned salt

1 Tbsp. onion powder

1 1/2 Tbsp. vinegar

4 Tbsp. beef bouillon

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. dill weed

Sour Cream

Heat your large pot with 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat.  Once it is nice and hot, add the beef stew meat and onion.  Quickly sear the meat and onion until browned.

Add water and bring to a boil.  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until tender, about 30-45 minutes.

Top each bowl with a dollop of sour cream and mix in.  

In my opinion, this is even better as leftovers or after it has been sitting for a while.  The flavors just come together better!  

Cheese Buttons (AKA: Kase Knepfla)

One of my warmest childhood memories is having Cheese Buttons at my grandmothers house.  They were, hands down, my favorite food growing up and I still think of them as the ultimate in comfort food today.  When I first married my husband, he wasn't impressed by them...I am pretty sure they are growing on him too.  That could have something to do with that I have become much better at making them.  These may seem odd to all of you non-Germans out there, but give them a try!  I always serve these with canned peaches, because that is what grandma always did:0)

Cheese Buttons (Kase Knepfla)

Dough:

2 1/2 c. flour

1 egg

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. water

Filling:

2 c. dry curd cottage cheese 

1 egg

salt and pepper, to taste

Finishing Ingredients:

Butter, 1/4-1/2 c.

Stale bread pieces (I use at least 5-6 pieces), torn

1 medium onion, sliced

Serve With:
Heavy Cream

Salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients together.  It will be a very stiff dough.  I find that it is very easy to use my Kitchen Aid bread hook to mix this.

Combine filling ingredients together.

Roll dough about 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface and cut into 4 inch squares.  Place a spoon-full of filling on half on each square.  Fold dough over and pinch sides together securely to make the button (my grandma always made triangles instead, so that is what I usually do).

Put buttons into a kettle of slowly boiling salted water and cook for no more than 10 minutes (they are done when they float).  Boil and handle gently, or you may lose filling.

Fry Cheese Buttons in a large skillet with the other finished ingredients until lightly browned.

Drizzle with heavy cream and salt to taste.