Super Green Soup with Ricotta Dumplings
This is my spin on a classic vegetable soup. You can add any other vegetables you have in your fridge - the more the merrier. The dumplings are very easy to make and can also be used to serve with pasta and homemade tomato sauce.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ tsp table salt
- 800ml-1L vegetable stock
- 1 leek, finely sliced (white part only)
- 1 broccoli head, finely chopped
- 100g baby spinach leaves
- 1 tbsp finely chopped tarragon
- 1 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley
- Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the ricotta dumplings
- 240g ricotta
- Grated zest of ½ lemon
- 4 tbsp semolina
Method
For the ricotta dumplings
Beat the ricotta in a bowl with the lemon zest and a pinch of sea salt and pepper. Roll the mixture into 16 balls then roll the balls in the semolina until thoroughly coated. Transfer to a plate and chill for 1 hour to firm up.
For the soup
Heat two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, bay leaves and table salt. Cook for 7-10 minutes until the onion is soft but not coloured. Add the vegetable stock and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
While the stock is simmering, cook the dumplings. Lightly grease a steamer with oil and arrange the ricotta dumplings inside. Set the steamer above a pan of simmering water, cover and steam for five minutes (you may need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your steamer).
Remove the bay leaves from the saucepan and add the leek. Simmer for five minutes and then add the broccoli. Simmer for three minutes then finish with the spinach leaves and chopped herbs. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Add a few dumplings to each bowl of soup, sprinkle with black pepper and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
Discover more seasonal recipes in Marcus Wareing's cookbooks.
