Open Dialogue

Comfort Food for a cold day--or a cold

I've been a blog slacker again. So, to make up for it, I'm sharing a family favorite recipe. This comes from my father's side of the family. I never thought of it as a recipe specific to Slovenia, however, I find most people have never heard of making dumplings this way. Several years ago my sister gave me a cookbook from the Western Slavonic Association and there was a recipe for "Farina Dumpling Soup" in it. In the Midwest, we use Cream of Wheat.

The above mentioned recipe book had a whole section devoted to Potica (Slovenian Nut Bread--mmmmmm) as well. This is something you would make if you had, say, an entire day you could devote to just one thing. But, it is worth it. Click here and you will find a great website with recipe, pix and tutorial on this Slovenian Christmas favorite.

For those of us with less time on our hands, I have heard that the Italian Bakery in Virginia, Minnesota is THE place to order your holiday Potica. According to their website, they have "sent Potica to soldiers in the Gulf War, to students studying in Beijing, and to old friends across the country." If you want to receive in time for Christmas, it is recommended to get your order in soon.


CREAM OF WHEAT DUMPLING SOUP

Beat one egg in a bowl (real well)
ADD:
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 T dried or fresh chopped parsley
pinch of salt

Slowly add 1 T melted butter. Last, add 1/2c Cream of Wheat and stir with fork until well mixed. Drop by 1/2 tsp into boiling chicken stock. Simmer about 20 minutes.

The key to this recipe's success is just the right viscosity. The batter can't be runny, but it also can't be too firm. The easiest ingredient to adjust is the amount of Cream of Wheat. I usually add it in small quantities and stir until I get the desired effect. Sometimes you need less, sometimes you need more.

You'll know if you get it right within 5 minutes of cooking. If the dumplings triple in size, you got it. If they don't. You got rocks.

Good luck!

posted by Susan @ 12:27 PM