Watercress...???? How about Chicken and Dumplings

I have spent the day trying to figure out what to do about the next soup listed in Julia's cook book. Watercress, and I could skip that and I go to Mushroom but, I can hear Gram laughing...fungus and weeds....I could see her steeping them for tea, but soup - think not! So what can I do with potato stock, because that is basically what Julia has you used adding 1/4 lb of watercress before the cream and butter step. Hmmm, then there is the cold Watercress soup which is a vichyssoise (cold leek and potato soup) which is an American invention based on the leek/potato soup. Again I hear Grams laughter....."COLD SOUP? Lands alive girl what are you thinking." You see a farmers wife soups are hearty and HOT....after all she is feeding her husband, children and the farm hands who literally worked at times for the roof over their head and food for their belly. So, what can I do with that base, more to the point what would Gram would. Actually a lot of things. You could add a ton of other vegetables and turn it into a vegetable soup. You could add some stewed chicken with it's In fact if you ever need to make a soup thick (or sauce even) you can add instant mash potatoes - but don't tell Gram. Since there is no soup left over anyway, it was way too good - all eaten. Because Gram never made Vichyssoise, Mushroom or even Onion soup, how about my dad's favorite. Chicken and Dumplings...YUM! It is hard for me not to share my onion soup recipe and onion soup always conjures up memories of my dear friend Jessica who will know why - she makes the best!!! But Jules has been dying for chicken and dumplings so just maybe I will make a batch and send her some when I pick up Nico tomorrow.
2-1/2 to 3 lb. Chicken (whole)
Cover with water
1 Carrot, roughly chopped
1 Medium onion, chopped
1 Stalk of celery, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Cup cream
1/4 tsp Freshly ground pepper

Dumplings:
2 Cups All-purpose flour
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp Salt
Tbl. Shortening
3/4 Cup Buttermilk
Place the chicken in a Dutch oven, and add the water, broth, carrot, onion, celery and salt. Cover and simmer for 60 to 70 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking combine the flour, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture is consistency of coarse meal. Add the buttermilk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead, do not over knead or your noodles or they will be tough.
Note Here: it took me years to make dumplings that even come close to grams and two things are important kneading and drying time.
Roll the dough out on a bread board coated with flour, flour your rolling pin well and roll out a square. With a small sharp knife cut noodles about 1 inch wide by 3 inches long lay on parchment or wax paper to dry. After 30 minutes turn them over so the other side dries.

When the chicken is tender and falling off the bone remove it from stock and make sure you get all bones. I put it through a colander reserving the liquid. Bone the chicken, reserving skin to make crackles. Discard bones once all meat is removed. You can cut or tear chicken meat into bite-size pieces. Set aside.

Now it's time to marry everything.

I put the cooled chicken stock and the left over potato soup through my blender and puree. There is a school of thought that you should discard the carrots and onion from the new stock, but I don't see why. I suppose the theory is that flavor has been boiled out, but I believe they add a bit of color if nothing else...so in the blender it goes.

Bring the chicken broth to a boil, and stir in the milk and pepper. Season to taste. Drop dried noodles in one at a time, bringing the stock back to a boil then reducing the heat simmer for about 10 minutes. Add your chicken and heat through. The noodles will help thicken your soup.

Yesterday I forgot one REALLY IMPORTANT item to go along with your soup. Corn Bread...you have to make corn bread, pan fried is the best! It also goes well with this dish. Hope you enjoy this recipe, we'll see if jules gives it two YUMS up!

SOUP! Potato Leek Soup - Yum with Bacon...

Julia writes "Although we are enthusiastic supporters of blenders and food processors, we almost invariably prefer a vegetable mill when soups are to be pureed. A vegetable mill to my grandmother was the back of a wooden spoon!

POTAGE PARMENTIER
(Leek or Onion and Potato Soup)
Left over potatoes (3 to 4 cups)
Chicken Giblet Stock (should measure about 4 cups)
1 lb leek or brown onion
2 stalks celery
3 slices bacon
2 garlic cloves
1 cup heavy cream
3 Tbl. butter
1/4 cup flour
Salt, Pepper and Garlic salt to taste

I, LOVE SOUP! I love fall and winter, when that first touch of cold hits my nostrils it sends them on a frantic search to find the aromas I associate with a warm pot of homemade soup!

Julia writes that potato soup is versatile as a soup base. I agree...but to me potato soup without BACON, BACON, BACON (which hers had none of) is like a glass of tomato juice without vodka. Good, but doesn't adjust my attitude. When you wrap that potato soup around a bit of Bacon ....well yum and my attitude is satisfied. So here is my recipe for Potato Soup...

Start out yesterday by making Roast Chicken and potatoes. You say "what? What does roast chicken have to do with potato soup?" Well, trust me if you want to make GREAT potato soup it does and here is why. When I made the roast chicken and potatoes I also sauteed onions and celery in, yes you got it, bacon grease. Once the onions have softened and lightly browned I added them to a pot with the chicken giblets, covered them with water and set to cooking them really slow (like all day), adding more water if necessary. How will I use this in the roasted chicken? I won't! But while my chicken is roasting, I am making stock for tomorrow's super, Potato Leek Soup.

Now, I will take a moment to explain something about my family. Dinner is the largest meal of the day and served in the afternoon. Usually around 2:00 p.m. Super is light fare served in the evening and usually consists of something left over from dinner made into a sandwich or soup. For farmers this worked well as their job and food were in the same location, all they had to listen for was the dinner bell. Now we eat dinner late, after working (and for most families today both adults work out of the home) and super has turned into lunch and is generally eaten on the go. Where have all the family meals gone? Having said that I will go back to tomorrow's potato soup.

Roasted chicken is a great Sunday Dinner, and I will share the recipe later but, I need to mention something about it now. Triple the amount of potatoes you use, or more if you are a potato lover. Why? Because those potatoes that will roast slowly in the oven with that juicy chicken all day Sunday, and when left over, become the most delicious tasting part besides the bacon, bacon, bacon, of the Potato Leek Soup. And while you are cleaning up Sunday Dinner add the left over potatoes (and any carrots) to your Giblet stock, cover and store in the refrigerator until tomorrow. Jumping forward to Monday.

If you are lucky enough to have 3 cups of potatoes left over from Sunday Dinner, hard in my house because we all love potatoes, you will have enough to make a pot of potato soup. Remove your left over potatoes and chicken giblet stock from refrigerator. Separate the giblets and reserve the meat, I know there is not much there and you might go YUCK to chicken livers, but trust me you won't even know you are eating them. Add water to cover the potatoes if you don't feel you have enough liquid and simmer. While your potatoes are simmering you will slice your leeks thinly including the tender green part. If you prefer to make it with onion I suggest you use a brown onion. You need about 1 lb of either. Dice your celery and garlic while always, always keeping an eye on the stock and potato pot. Cook the bacon over medium heat until done. Remove bacon from pan, and set aside to crumble onto your soup. Drain off all but 1/4 cup of the bacon grease, extra grease should go into your bacon can.

In the bacon grease remaining in the pan, saute the celery until onion begins to turn clear. Add the garlic, and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes. Now pour this into your potato/chicken stock. Take the neck meat (that you have picked from the bone) and the liver and saute in the same pan you cooked the celery, and garlic in. No need to add more grease as you are just gonna warm them a bit. Place them in the blender with about a 1/4 cup of stock from your soup pot. Be careful when blending this as hot chicken stock doesn't feel good if it hits you in the face! When this is a pasty texture spoon and/or pour into your soup pot, stirring it well into the mixture. As for the gizzard Grammy said "give it to the cat, but a well fed cat is not a good mouser. However an occasional gizzard or two keeps him happy." This is a joke, my two cats are so over fed they need to go on a diet! .

Now, melt the butter in the saute pan (do not wash the pan when you reuse it there are still morsels you don't want to miss. I know this is not the way you have been taught - probably quite the opposite, but again farmers don't throw anything away much less wash good flavors down a sink). Keeping your heat at a medium setting whisk in the flour. Cook stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the heavy cream. Bring the cream mixture to a boil, stir it constantly, until thickened. Now it is time to marry all this to the potato stock. You can do one of two things. Mash your potatoes with a fork, or put them in small batches and puree in the blender. As each batch of potato is ready pour and stir into the cream mixture. Season all to taste serve topped with crumbled bacon from the bacon you set aside and a dash of fresh diced parsley. I personally also like homemade croutons on the top and guess what I cook them in yes...bacon, bacon, bacon grease!

If you use my recipe PLEASE comment here will it be two yums up?