Monday, January 25, 2010

Ricotta Dumplings in Broth

It's still winter out there, in fact as I write this I'm looking at snowflakes falling. To me, there's nothing like a bowl of hot steamy soup to warm me up, and this one fits the bill. Not only is it quick to make, providing you have all the ingredients, but it's also very healthy and light, there's not one bit of flour in these dumplings!

Cheesy ricotta dumplings flavored with fresh parsley, parmesan cheese and a hint of garlic bathing in a bowl of broth, doesn't that sound good? You can even use a veggie broth if you like, and maybe even add a few fresh spinach leaves right into your bowl for extra color and flavor.

Heres the recipe:
Adapted from a 1998 La Cucina Italiana magazine
1 pound ricotta
3 cloves of minced garlic
Italian parsley minced
1 cup bread crumbs
7 ounces of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
2 eggs
12 cups of good chicken broth, homemade or store bought, plus extra for cooking dumplings in.



Combine the first 6 ingredients into a bowl, make sure everything is incorporated. Roll spoonfuls of the mixture into cherry tomato sized balls, set aside. This recipe gives you at least 24 to 30 ricotta balls.

These little dumplings tend to puff up so try not to overcrowd them like I did in the photo above, otherwise they might hit each other and break up a bit. Simmer slowly in some of the extra hot broth until they're cooked through. They rise to the top and double in size when they're done.

The reason I like to cook my dumplings first separately in some of the extra broth, is because in case a dumpling breaks, or tiny pieces of dumpling break off it won't cloud up all your broth, I think it just looks visually better that way.


Then carefully take them out with a slotted spoon, place as many cooked dumplings you want in their individual bowls and ladle some of the existing 12 cups of broth you have preserved, so the 12 cups should be enough to cover the 24-30 dumplings you will make, and you'll need at least an extra 4 cups to pre-cook your dumplings in.
Enjoy and Buon Appetito!

30 comments:

Bellini Valli said...

This is my kind of meal. These re,omd me of gnudi but with the rich delicious broth it takes these to kew heights.

Suzanne said...

mmmm...this soup sounds wonderful! I will give the recipe a try!

Terri said...

Love in a bowl :>)

redkathy said...

We had some warmth down here but the temperature is dropping PDQ. Ricotta dumplings and a hunky of bread, perfect timing!

Chef Aimee said...

I would eat that entire pot. :)

Nina Timm said...

o me, that is very elegant!!!
It also looks easy enough to make for a larger group of people and that appeals to me!!!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

I like your new blog header Marie!

This soup looks so tasty! The ricotta dumplings must justmelt in the mouth...mmmm

Kathy said...

Those look so good in the broth. Comfort food for these chilly days and nights. Kathy.

Michelle said...

Looks like the perfect light but comforting food for this time of year! I've never eaten ricotta dumplings before ... I really must try this recipe. You had me at Ricotta :-)

Fallon said...

MM I love matzo soup and this is what reminds me of it, only Italian style!

Simona said...

The photos are very inviting. A bowl of hot soup is perfect this time of the year. And ricotta dumplings are delicious.

casalba said...

I'm bookmarking this. They look (and sound) absolutely delicious. Another winner! That top photo!

Kathy said...

This looks so good. I have some chicken stock in the freezer just waiting to be turned into something delicious. This may be it!!

Meghan said...

I made one of Giada's recipes from Everyday Pasta that was very similar to this! I really liked it. I think I made my dumplings a little to large - yours look like the perfect size :)

cook eat FRET said...

I adore this whole concept. I've never done it before. it's on my short list. just beautiful.

Rachel J aka Tha Pizza Cutta said...

Don't you just LOVE La Cucina Italiana? For Christmas I bought my aunt a year's subscription. And this soup! Oh, Marie I just had my 4 wisdom teeth taken out and this dish looks like heaven!! If I get the gumption up I must try it. Bella! Brava! Ciao!

A Feast for the Eyes said...

Here I am, posting a sorbet, and you're posting a beautiful soup! This reminds me of a German soup, more like a Matzo soup. I really like the idea of using ricotta a LOT. I love making soups, so count me in on this one. It's truly comforting.

The Food Hunter said...

It's the perfect time of year for soup...and broth based soups are usually pretty healthy. This looks delicous.

Foodie with Little Thyme! said...

I tried these once with a recipe from Giada....Yuck. Mine didn't look as good as yours do. In fact they were so gross looking that I never even tasted them. You have inspired me to try again.

Rebeca said...

Perfect dinner,very good idea and delicious!!!

Peter M said...

Marie, I would insist on a homemade chicken broth...the dumplings deserve, no? Comfort food.

Claudia said...

Having just finished some very tasty sausage soup, I can tell you that I can abolutely have a bowl of your soup right now - I could never turn down a ricotta dumpling. And I will echo someone else as I also state - only homemade broth for these lovelies. One must appreciate them.

Ciao Chow Linda said...

Hi Marie - I've got free internet right now so can check on what you're up to and it looks like you're up to more delicious things. This is very similarto 'canederli' which is a specialty of the northern italy area near Austria where I'll be going to ski in a couple of days. There, they use a bread crumb mixture and not ricotta, but I love your version too.

susan said...

Oh I have to try this...

Stacey Snacks said...

These are Italian matzoh balls!
I love La Cucina Italiana magazine...I just made the pollo diavolo!

The Short (dis)Order Cook said...

Great idea. It's like gnudi soup. Definitely want to try this.

Jen_from_NJ said...

Light, healthy comfort food - perfect! Your soup looks absolutely delicious!

Lori Lynn said...

Love it! Got me thinking of matzoh balls...we definitely cook them separately, then you can have a clear lovely broth like yours.
I must try these.
LL

joe@italyville said...

We make something very similar when we make sopressata. we add some of the sausage meat to them too. YUM!

The Mulligan Family said...

I've never had ricotta dumplings before. That sounds delish. It's Italian Matzo Ball soup! ;-) Definitely going to give this one a try. Thanks!

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