Grießnockerlsuppe (Semolina Dumpling Soup) and a bonus Pressure Cooker Recipe for Dark-Roasted Chicken Broth

 

This German (or Austrian) soup is something that brings me way back to my childhood. My Mutti (German mom) made chicken soup just like one would expect her to. Soup, for dinner, was a common occurrence.

It was always homemade, and never out of a can. When she'd made these Grießnockerl (pronounced GREES-NOKE-AIRL) dumplings, I couldn't wait to dig in to them. I loved the fluffy texture and very mild flavor.  This very dumpling ranks high on my childhood comfort food list.

Eventually, my mother taught me how to shape the dumplings, using two spoons.  What's interesting is that I remember my mother buying a box mix for the dumplings. I made it my mission to do some research on how to make these, from scratch.  I landed on the food blog "Lil Vienna" and got lost in her multitude of beautiful Austrian recipes that makes me even more excited to be flying there later on, this year!

I love making homemade pastas, so I always have a bag of Bob's Red Mill Semolina Flour on hand. There is not reason you can't use cream of wheat. (I vaguely remember my Mutti saying she did.)

Just don't skip the freshly grated nutmeg. I think that gives the dumplings another layer of flavor.

I watched a couple of YouTube videos on how to shape these dumplings into three clear edges.  It takes a bit of practice, but I discovered that keeping a glass of water to keep the spoons wet was a big help.

I didn't quite perfect the three-edge dumpling, but my mom would have approved that I did make them into the two-sided dumplings that she taught me how to make...again, and again.


Cooking the dumplings was successful, because I made sure that the water was just barely simmering.  Had I kept the water at a rapid boil, they would have easily fallen apart.

They do plump up, once cooked they should be allowed to steep for 10-15 minutes.

So, here we have three beautiful dumplings-- nice and fluffy. All I need is a soup broth.

As many of my faithful readers know, I am in-love with my pressure cooker. This kitchen tool has become one of my most used possessions, because I can make soup broth in 30 minutes-- sometimes less!  I love to roast my chicken and vegetables to make a rich and flavorful broth.  I forgot to set a timer, and ended up roasting my chicken wings and vegetables for close to an hour!  They almost looked "Cajun" but I carried on.

I added 8 cups of water, the dark-roasted veggies and chicken into my pressure cooker. I added some whole peppercorns (I never salt my stock, preferring to do that once I use it in a dish), and added some fresh parsley.  I locked on the lid, pressed the "SOUP" button (35 minutes) and carried on with making dumplings.  Once I did a quick pressure released, I strained the whole pot ...

...and  I ended up with this beautiful, dark amber chicken broth. It did not taste burnt at all!  

The red and blue bottle you see, in the background, is Maggi Seasoning (you can find it at Walmart or in the imported section of your supermarket). My Mutti always served this with her homemade soups. Think of it as "German Soy Sauce".  Just a little dash will add some extra flavor.

Grießnockerlsuppe can be served with a beef or vegetable broth. My Mutti always served it with chicken broth-- but much lighter and yellower than this one. This dark broth is my own accident, turned success!

TASTING NOTES: My mother has been gone from this dimension for 15 years. I so wish she could see how much of her Bavarian heritage that I have hung onto.  This soup brought back so many memories of being a little girl, and my mother smiling as she watched me devour this soup.  I'll be making this for my brothers, because when they saw my teaser photo on my Facebook, they were envious.  These aren't as fussy as I thought. Just pay attention to the tips that "Lil Vienna" shared, and I followed, and these will turn out great.

Oh, by the way. I had leftover dumplings so I refrigerated them. The next day, I cooked them.  They were okay, but I really do believe that they are best cooked, served and eaten on the same day. The fresh ones were, by far, the fluffiest.

Here is the printable recipe.  NOTE: I store all of my recipes on Key Ingredient. Unfortunately, they have recently reverted back to requiring a free membership to log in and view my recipes. I'm hoping that they'll change their mind, but in the meantime, I'll post a second site that doesn't require a membership. If you have any problems printing the recipe, please write to me foodiewife@gmail.com.
 

Here's the printable recipe: