Norwegian Spinnach Soup with Dumplings
This soup is from my mothers recipebook from 1957. She had it on the menu as a sidedish cooking for 300 people that day. The main dish was Norwegian Fishcakes with mashed potatoes, carrots, cabbage and gravy. The ingredients for the soup was 70 l bouillon, 2, 1 kg flour, 2, 1 kg margarine, 4 kg spinnach, 3 kg macaroni, 3 l cream, salt and sugar to taste. For the dumplings it was 1, 5 kg flour, 2, 5 kg margarine, 2 1/2 l water, 40 eggs, 4 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsps kardemom 1 tbsp salt. The ingredients for the fishcakes was 30 kg fishfilé, 0, 9 kg salt, 1, 2 kg potatoestarch, 30 l milk, 1 1/2 tbsp nutmeg, 6 kg butter for frying. For the gravy 3 kg margarine, 3 l milk, 30 l bouillon, 1/2 kg onion, salt and pepper. 50 kg potatoes, 10 carrots, 10 kg cabbage, 5 kg cranberryjam. The total price per person for the main dish and the side dishes was 0,80 NOK. That is about 7 cents. I have the recipe for fishcakes also here on my blog. I have had to try to calculate new measurements for my recipe here. If this is a sidedish it could be six-eight servings. But if you eat it as a main dish if would be less.
This soup is delishious and old fashioned. It is soothing and real comfortfood. The “Mjølboller” (dumplings) are so good, not at all like dumplings we know these days. Simple to make but melts in your mouth.
Spinnach Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 – 2 l bouillon (depending on if you like a thinner or thicker soup. Adjust to your liking. Star with 1 1/2 and than when your soup is done you can add more if you feel it is thick for your taste).
- 60 g flour
- 60 g margarine
- 106 g spinach
- 80 g macaroni
- 1 dl cream
- 3 tsp Salt
- 3 tsp Sugar
Instructions:
Add butter in a saucepan and let it melt.
Add the flour and whisk.
Add the bouillon a little at the time while all the time stirring.
Stir so you get all lumps out.
When you have added all the liquid and it is smooth add the spinach.
Add the macaroni. You can either preboil it separately in a pan with salted water, rinse and add to your soup, or you can add the uncooked macaroni to the soup and let it cook until the macaroni has become cooked. If you have left over of cooked macaroni you can add that.
When macaroni is cooked add the cream and salt and sugar to your taste.
Dumplings
Ingredients:
- 40 g flour
- 66 g margarine
- 0, 66 dl water
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp salt
Water with salt (for boiling the dumplings if you boil them separately and not add them directly to the soup to boil).
Instructions:
Melt the butter in a saucepan.
Add the flour and mix while still on the stove.
Add the salt, sugar and cardamom to the water and add the water to the butter and flour while stirring.
Stir on the heat until there is a smooth dough.
Take the pan off the heat to cool.
When the dough has cooled stir in the egg
Now let the dough cook for 10 minutes in the fridge.
Boil water with salt in a saucepan.
Take out the dough from the fridge.
To make the dumplings you need two teaspoons and and glass of cold water.
Wet the teaspoons in the cold water.
Take a teaspoonful of the dumplingdough and with the teaspoons form a small ball.
Put it in the water. Do not let the water boil. The dumplings should just simmer.
When you add them to the saucepan they will sink to the bottom. When they float up to the surface they are done and can be taken out.
Make all the dumplings the same way.
Serve the Spinnach Soup with adding the dumplings to the soup.
You can also add the dumplings uncooked to your soup and let them cook in the soup. I have done both ways and they both work.
Bj's Live Kitchen 