Finnish Beef and Dumpling Soup (Klimppisoppa from Finland)

Ingredients

Soup

• 1 1/2 lbs beef chuck (with bones)
• 6 cups water
• 1 onion, peeled
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon whole allspice
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small piece rutabaga or turnip
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Dumplings

• 5 potatoes (medium, preferably Russet)
• 1/4 cup broth
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (or up to 1/2 tsp)

Directions

1. 1

   Place meat in pot with cold water. Bring to a boil. Skim off froth as it rises to the surface. Add salt, onion, carrot, allspice, marjoram, bay leaf and rutabaga. Cover and simmer 1.5 hours.

2. 2

   Add the whole peeled potatoes. Simmer until they can be easily pierced with a fork. Remove them from the broth with a slotted spon to a small bowl. Let them cool.

3. 3

   Mash the potatoes with a fork. Add 1/4 of the cooking broth, egg, flour and salt. Mix well.

4. 4

   When the meat is tender, remove it from the broth and let it cool.

5. 5

   With a soup spoon dipped in the broth, take a rounded tablespoon of the dough and release it into the broth. If it breaks up, add some more flour to the dough. When the dumpling remains in one piece, drop them all into the broth, dipping the spoon in the broth between dropping each dumpling. Simmer for 5 - 10 minutes.

6. 6

   Remove the fat and bones from the meat. Cut it into bite-sized pieces. Add to the soup. Salt to taste.

7. 7

   Add some chopped parsley for color. Serve hot in deep soup bowls with bread.