Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Corn Soup

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A walk in the woods - Boiling Springs, PA

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Souper Susan & Marty

We went to our souper family – Susan, Marty and Sarah - in Boiling Springs, PA for Mother’s Day. They had just moved into their mountain home after living the Navy life for many years and always on the move. They live on the South Mountain – the last mountain of the Blue Ridge. It was a great adventure walking along the creek on their property– we checked out special trees - the tulip tree and brought back lots of rocks. After the hike, we got busy making this traditional Pennsylvania soup. Susan’s idea was to go on Google and here is what Marty found, a classic favorite – Best Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Corn Soup. We started on Saturday and finished on Sunday. The prep time is only 10 minutes, but the cooking time is 3 hours 30 minutes. This soup makes a very rich broth and the smell of nutmeg permeates the kitchen. It smelled soo good!! We thought the dumplings would be hard to make, but really they were quite easy. The dumplings are called rivels. This soup is a must if you like chicken and corn!

Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Corn Soup
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Best-Pennsylvania-Dutch-Chicken-Corn-Soup/Detail.aspx

Souper Susan & Marty/Souper Sarah

"This dumpling soup is made entirely from scratch with fresh corn and stock from the whole checken, seasoned with nutmeg and flecked with hard-cooked egg."

INGREDIENTS

Serves 12

2 (3 pound) whole chickens, cut into pieces
3 quarts water
3 onions, minced
1 cup chopped celery
2 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
10 ears fresh corn
3 eggs
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk

Directions:

1. In a large pot over medium heat, combine chicken, water, onions, celery, salt, nutmeg and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 2 hours, adding water as needed, until chicken is very tender. Remove the chicken from the soup. Refrigerate chicken and soup.

2. When fat solidifies on surface of soup, remove from refrigerator and remove fat. Remaining soup should equal about 2 1/2 quarts.

3. Remove corn from cobs by splitting kernels lengthwise with a sharp knife and scraping corn from cob. Combine soup and corn in a large pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until corn is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, place two of the eggs in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop. Set aside.

5. Chop cooled chicken meat and add to soup.

6. In a medium bowl, beat remaining egg until light in color. Beat in flour and milk until smooth. Drop batter by partial spoonfuls into hot broth to make small (1/4 -1/2 inch round) dumplings. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 5 minutes, until dumplings hold their shape and float to the surface. Season to taste. Stir in reserved cooked egg.

Mincing onions

Put whole chicken in large stock pot

Adding salt

Bring to a boil

Magnalite stock pan - simmer for 2 hours

Rich chicken broth

Debone and chop the chicken

Add chicken to soup






Making little dumplings (rivels)




Simmering soup

Serve soup hot

Souper Granddaugter Sarah



Happy Birthday Sarah

This package comes with a bow!!!

This soup has a distinct taste with the chicken and sweet corn flavored by the nutmeg. Did you notice the special stock pot? Susan’s mother had given her the Magnalite stock pot and it was so perfect for making this soup. I had no heard about this type of pot, but here is what I found out from Magnalite Cookware. It was originally developed in 1934 and is best known for its distinctive finish, timeless design and commercial durability. It boasts of its extremely thick base, which not only speeds up the cooking but also distributes the heat evenly up the sides. The vapor-tight pot and pan lids, on the other hand, lock in moisture to keep the food flavorful, (which was true).

Susan and Marty it was so much fun cooking with you in your new kitchen. You have a beautiful new home. What a wonderful way to spend Mother’s day – cooking and being with your family! Thank you Sarah, Susan and Marty for making my day so special!!!

The thought for the week - Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless." - Mother Teresa

Happy souping until we meet again!

Souper Sarah