Cook Colin Fassnidge’s recipe tonight: Chicken Dumplings and Pearl Barley Broth

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes plus stock cooking time

Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients for Chicken Wing Broth

• 2kg chicken wings
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 bulb garlic halved
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ bunch thyme
• Cold water, to cover

Ingredients for the Chicken Dumplings

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 1 brown onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, sliced
• 200g day old sourdough, torn into small pieces
• ½ bunch rosemary, finely chopped
• ½ bunch thyme, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 300g chicken mince
• 2 eggs
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper

• 2 – 3 cups of diced Autumn/Spring vegetables. This could include parsnip, potato, pumpkin, sweet potato, carrots, brussels sprouts, spring peas, broad beans, spinach and silver beet.

• 2 cups cooked pearl barley

Method

1 To make broth, place all ingredients in a stockpot. Bring to the boil. Gentle boil for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Strain into a clean stockpot. Season with salt and pepper.

2 To make chicken dumplings, heat half the oil in a frying pan over a medium to low heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring for 3 to 5 minutes, or until tender but not coloring. Transfer to a large bowl.

3 In a blender, blend bread, herbs and spices until breadcrumbs form. Add to onion mixture with mince and eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Using your hands mix well.

4 Roll into golf ball size balls and transfer to a tray lined with baking paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.

5 Return stock to a gentle simmer. Add root vegetables. Cook for three to five minutes. Add balls and remaining vegetables. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes, adding peas and spinach in the last two minutes. Dumplings are ready when they rise to the top of the pot.

6 To serve soup, divide chicken balls among bowls. Spoon over soup. Drizzle with olive oil.

Tip: Replace Chicken Wing Broth with a good quality bought stock.

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