Cheese Dumplings In Chicken Broth

First it was Bob's bread pudding that I mangled last Friday.  Then today, I tried to make passatelli soup, and that didn't work out.  Passatelli soup contains wonderful, delicate noodles made from parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and eggs.  It's mixed into a dough and then pressed through a food mill, a ricer, or a special passatelli press.  Though I've never made it before, I've enjoyed it in restaurants.  I had all the ingredients, and a ricer, so why not make it?  Plus, I bought turkey necks yesterday, which meant I could make broth for the soup. Since passatelli soup is so simple, the broth is crucial and I did manage to make a good one. But, my attempt at making the little passatelli noodles was a total failure. After several attempts I gave up and made little dumplings with the dough.  They were like little cheesy clouds, so delicate they almost melted in my mouth.  I'm a passatelli failure, but at least it wasn't a replay of the odious bread pudding.

Here is what pasatelli soup should look like.  Adorable, yes?  (Photo courtesy of In Cuchina Con Cooki )

First I made a simple broth from turkey necks, water, white wine, celery, carrots and shallots, which was strained after it was done.

The dough for the dumplings was fresh bread crumbs, eggs, parmesan cheese, nutmeg, and lemon.  It was mixed together until the consistancy of cooked polenta.  I had to add more bread crumbs to the dough, but the recipe predicted I might need to do that. 

Then I put it in my ricer, with the large hole disk. I squeezed--and the dough oozed out the top of the ricer.  After many attempts to correct this, I gave up and made the dumplings.

It was good, but I would like the noodles too.

Passatelli Soup or Cheese Dumplings in Chicken Broth                    (Emeril Legasse)

9 cups well-flavored chicken broth
1-1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs  (Use freshly made bread crumbs for best results)
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 lemon, zested and juiced  (optional)
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon minced fresh marjoram
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano

In a large saucepan, bring the  broth to a slow boil. In a bowl, combine 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the bread crumbs, nutmeg and lemon zest and juice and make a well in the center. Add the eggs to the well and slowly incorporate into the dry ingredients, until it comes together and resembles cooked polenta. (If the mixture is too thin, add a bit more grated cheese and bread crumbs.)

Transfer the cheese mixture to a food mill or ricer fitted with the large die. Hold the food mill as high above the steaming broth as possible, and turn the handle so that the Parmesan mixture is forced through the mill into the slowly boiling broth. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes without stirring. Remove from the heat and let sit 5 minutes. Ladle into soup bowls and top each with a sprinkling of fresh herbs and the remaining grated cheese. Serve immediately.

To make dumplings instead of noodles:

Scoop up a lump of the dough and roll it into a small ball. Place the dumplings as you make them on a plate that has been sprayed with Pam.  Drop the dumplings into gently boiling water. The dumplings will drop to the bottom of the pan and rise to the top when they are done. If any of the dumplings stick to the botom of the pan, gentley nudging with a butter knife will let them rise.  Cook about 1-2 minutes, then scoop out with a strainer. Place dumplings in bowls and ladle hot broth over them.  Sprinkle with minced herbs and more parmesan.

Comments

[Tanna]

Actually I think your dumplings have more appeal than the noodles.

[Anh]

Cher, your dumplings look good to me! :) I think it should be nice, whether it is dumpling or noodle. Will have to try when I can.

[Glenna]

I think the dumplings look more appealing too! Seriously. Looks wonderful. Reminds me of matzo ball soup. Yum!

[Mae]

Hi Sher, first of all, happy new year to you.
How i've missed so much of your posts. I've just finally gone through all 17 of them on my google reader. Wow! So many delicious entries. I'll drop you a line as soon as i've turned my mac on at home.

[Jennifer]

I actually think your dumplings look more appetizing than the noodles. They kinda look like worms! HAHAHA! In any case, good job! It looks delish!

[Jeff]

Hey...your soup looks pretty groovy there!

[s'kat]

Well, at least you rolled with it and still had a lovely meal! Everybody wins!

[gattina]

Sher, I was just looking at another pasta which has to be done by the same way, but I haven't bought the ricer yet... I'm with you using freshly made bread crumb and home-made stock, superb taste!

[e]

Sher - Your dumplings look like little matzo balls, which I find ultimately more appealing than the little worm like things you were orginally going for. Not a failure, just your own unique and delicious twist!

[sher]

Tanna,

Thank you. I was so set on the noodles, I couldn't appreciate the dumplings--and I love dumplings!

Anh,

Thank you. If you choose to make the dumplings--it's very easy and super fast. Next time I will add some greens to my broth.

Glenna,

That's what I thought off--your post on the matzo ball soup!

Mae,

So good to hear from you! I've missed you. And Happy New Year as well! I hope we see some of your wonderful posts again.

Jennifer,

Well, thank you! Now that you point it out--the noodles do look like worms!

Jeff,

Well, thank you! I always aim for grooviness!

s'kat,

Yes, I shouldn't complain--it's just a bowl of soup! And the dumplings are very nice.

Gattina,

Freshly made bread crumbs are so easy to make and miles better than the stuff sold in the store. I freeze the bread crumbs that I'm not going to use immediately. As long as I use them within a couple of months after I freeze them, they taste very good.

[Bea at La Tartine Gourmande]

This is so terribly tempting! I do not recall WHEN was the last time I had something like this!Yum yum!

[aria]

oooh i think the dumplings look better!! so elegant floating along with a little parsly. looks wonderful and i can just tell how flavorful the broth is. mmmm!

[Alisha]

I'm going to go along with the consensus and tell you that your soup looks more appetizing to me! I think you did a great job on it. Besides, the taste is what counts, right?

[Christine]

I'm right in there with the rest of your fans, Sher. The dumplings look delicious and very, very soignee. Better than the noodles!

[Ivonne]

You know, today at work I had the most incredible craving for chicken soup! I think you were reading my mind.

And I don't think you mangled this at all! While the passatelli may not have worked out, the end product looks so comforting and beautiful!

[ann]

Cheese? Dumplings? Toss in some pork and color me happy! They sound delicious!

[whaleshaman]

honestly? yours looks more appetizing by miles.

[Julie]

Dumplings win by a landslide!

They also look way more attractive than the passatelli to me too, and the description of little cheesy clouds sounds so delicious.

[Teresa]

I'm with everyone else. Your dumplings look much more appetizing. The original looks... well, like very large meal worms!

[Elizabeth]

This looks so good! I am definitely going to make this for lunch this weekend!

[Elizabeth]

This looks so good! I am definitely going to make this for lunch this weekend!

[Paul]

Hmm. Pasatelli (or is it passatelli?) is best made with a food mill. It's an Italian thing. Sort of a large flat funnel with holes and a handle. You set it up over the pot. You put in the dough, turn the handle, and the dough is forced out through the holes. To drop right into your hot broth.

[Joyce See]

From what I can see in your pics, your dough was too wet. Passatelli noodle dough is very dry and thick like the toy PlayDoh.
Remember when you would push play thru that gizmo to make hair and spaghetti? it is the same concept with passatelli. the recipe I have says for it to sit for 1-2 hours before you make the noodles.
1/2 c parmesan
1/3 c breadcrumbes
1 egg
dusting of nutmeg
I always triple the recipe for others.