MEATBALL AND DUMPLING SOUP
- FOR THE MEATBALLS
- ½ pound pork fillet, trimmed of fat and partially frozen for easy grinding (other meats are also fine)
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten (save the yolk for the dumplings)
- FOR THE DUMPLINGS
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs plus the leftover egg yolk
- FOR THE SOUP
- 8 cups (2 quarts) Beef Stock
- ½ cup peeled and diced carrots (about the size of the baby peas)
- ½ cup baby peas
- Chopped fresh chervil (or tarragon or parsley), for garnish
Instructions:
IMAGINE A SOUP plate brimming with a pure, clear beef broth, then mentally fill it with buttery dumplings and tiny meatballs, accented by bits of carrots and sweet baby peas. It may look complicated to make, but in fact it isn’t. You just need to make the dumplings and meatballs a bit in advance, then it’s a snap to assemble at the last minute.
- FOR THE MEATBALLS
-  Grind the meat in a food processor until finely cut (you can also ask your butcher to grind the meat, or you can cut it by hand). Put it into
- a bowl, stir in the onion, and season with salt, pepper, and allspice.
-  In a small cup, beat the flour and milk together, then stir into the meat. Finally, mix in the egg white. Let sit for at least 30 minutes.
-  When you are ready to cook the meatballs, bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a large, wide pot over medium-high heat. Season liberally with salt.
- With a teaspoon, shape and drop 40 small meatballs into the boiling water and let cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Strain with a perforated spoon, let drain in a sieve until dry, then store in the refrigerator until needed.
- FOR THE DUMPLINGS
- In a small saucepan, bring the butter, water, and salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour in the flour all at once and stir hard with a wooden spoon, until the mass is smooth and forms a ball that peels off the sides of the pot. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Bring 2 inches of water in a large, wide pot to a boil over mediumhigh heat and season well with salt.
- After the dumpling dough has cooled, beat in the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, until the dough is satiny.
-  When the water is at a medium boil, use two small spoons to make and drop 40 dumplings into the water.
- When you have finished dropping the dumplings into the water and the water again begins to boil, pour about ¼ cup of cold water into the pot to stop the boiling. When it comes to a strong boil again, pour in another bit of cold water. And, again, for the third time, pour in cold water when it returns to strong boil. At this point, the dumplings should be firm and completely cooked. Lift them out of the water with a perforated spoon and let them drain in a sieve. When they are completely drained, you may store them in the refrigerator until needed.
- When you are ready to finalize the soup, take the dumplings and meatballs out of the refrigerator and put them in a warm spot. They should be room temperature when you are ready to assemble the soup.
- TO COOK
- Bring the stock to a boil over medium-high heat in a large soup pot and stir in the carrots. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the baby peas. Cook for 5 more minutes.
- TO SERVE
- Set out the soup bowls and arrange five meatballs and five dumplings in each. When the soup is ready, ladle some into each of the bowls and top with chopped chervil. Serve immediately.