Hearty Tomato and Herb Dumpling Soup

I never thought I’d say this, but I’m ready for winter. It’s November, and I want to feel some cold weather. I’m ready to switch out all my skimpy tank tops for my warm, fuzzy sweaters. I want to drink peppermint mochas and eat pot pies and thick, hearty stews. Unfortunately, Los Angeles is not as ready for winter a I am, and has decided to maintain 90 degree weather for a little while longer.

I’m fighting back though. I may still be walking around in shorts, but I’m going to eat my hearty stews anyway. This one was a great way to kick off, the main reason being that it has dumplings.

A word on dumplings – even back in the old days when I was an avid eater of chicken soup, I ALWAYS preferred dumplings over the chicken.  And I prefer these dumplings over any other I’ve had. Because they have cheese in them, and herbs. And they’re cooked in tomato soup. Mmmmm…

Keep your 90 degree weather LA. I’m eating my soup anyway.

Hearty Tomato and Herb Dumpling Soup

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Adapted from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook

Serves 4

Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon chili powder
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 ¾ cup vegetable stock
1 14oz can chopped tomatoes

Dumplings
1 cup all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, chopped
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs ( I used thyme & chives)
3 tablespoons water

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan and sauté the onion for 2-3 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander and chili powder and cook for 1 minute. Add the stock and tomatoes and blend with an immersion blender(if you want a chunkier soup you can skip this step).

Stir in the chickpeas and bring to a boil. Once it boils reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

To make the dumplings, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add in the chopped butter and knead with your fingers until the mixture starts to resemble fine bread crumbs. Stir in the cheese and herbs, and then make a well in the center of the mixture. Add in the water and mix together ( I used my fingers for this step).

Divide the dough into 8 portions and roll into small balls. Add the dumplings to the soup, cover and simmer for 20 more minutes.

Tagged as: Beans, Cheese, Tomato