Dumpling Soup

Soups are quite a big thing in Poland and many families will still have their lunch or dinner of two dishes - a soup followed by the main meal. Nowadays, perhaps less and less so with people spending most of the time chasing their own tails (sorry, pursuing their careers :-), but I guess many would agree with me that soups definitely are one of the best parts of our cuisine.
There are soups for each season - lighter for spring and summer (we even have fruity ones) and heavier, more substantial for autumn and winter. This soup is pretty filling so it may well be served as the main meal.

Ingredients: 

Soup:
4 chicken thighs
3-4 carrots
2-3 parsley roots
4-5 potatoes
0.5 celery root
1 clove of garlic
3 bay leaves
5-6 allspice grains
1 stock cube
1 tbsp mixed dry vegetables
salt and pepper

Place the chicken thighs in a large pan and cover with water, bring to boil. Add the stock cube, dry veg mixture, garlic clove, bay leaves, allspice, celery  peeled and diced potatoes and reduce the heat. Grate carrots and parsley on the largest holes of the grater and stir into the soup.

Dumplings:
0.5 cup of plain, all purpose flour
a pinch of salt
water

In a bowl mix flour and salt and add enough water to make a smooth dough. If it's too dry add more water, if too sticky, add more flour. When the dough is soft and smooth, break off bits and roll them in your fingers to make small balls. They need to be really small, as they'll swell during cooking.

 Add the dumplings, salt and pepper to the soup and simmer for about an hour. When it cools it can be stored in a fridge, and truth be told, it's best the day after or even a few days later, when all flavours mix properly. If it thickens too much in the fridge, you may add a bit of water when re-heating. Really worth a try.