Simple Goodness

For as long as I can remember, I have been in the kitchen with my Granny. I credit alot of my cooking abilities to her. She is one of the best cooks I know, but one of our family's favorite things she makes is called "Knippla Soup". It is a simple soup with potatoes, onions, and these delectable little dumplings called knippla. Granny is a full blooded German, so this soup is one she grew up eating on the farm and passed down to us. We always had her make it for at least one meal when we came to visit her or she came to our house. As the years went by, the pot got bigger and bigger but it was always just as delicious. We would always beg her to make it for our friends, but she said no because it was "poor man's soup". We didn't care about that, even though now I realize how cheap it really is to make! Well, I am not ashamed, so I am going to share it with you!
It takes very few ingredients but they all come together to be oh so delicious. Now, one thing I must admit is that my Granny rarely uses recipes. This soup recipe has just been passed down from generations, so you just have to kind of get the eye for it. If the dough isn't the right consistency, you can fix it by adding a little flour or a little water. The dough is the hardest part, so I have included some pictures that will hopefully make it a little easier to understand. Here's my best shot at a recipe.


Knippla Soup (serves a bunch of people)


Get a big pot and fill it about half way with water. Put in-
3 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
Boil potatoes until they are almost done.
Meanwhile, in a small skillet, saute-
1 onion, quartered and sliced
in 2 tablespoons butter
Meanwhile, get out a mixing bowl and place
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
Make a well in the center of the flour and add
2 beaten eggs
Mix this up and add water until it forms a nice ball. Knead the dough a few times until it looks like this-

By this time, the potatoes should be ready. Now, comes forming the dumplings.
Place the dough ball in the palm of your hand and use a butter knife to make football shaped dumplings like this

Drop them in the boiling water and potatoes.




Boil the dumplings and potatoes until the dumplings float to the top. They will cook very quickly. Add the sauteed onions and
1 can tomato soup
salt and pepper to taste

Now just enjoy! You need to let this cool alot before you try to put it in your mouth, and you need to mash up your potatoes with a fork to get it just right. :0)

I am glad I get to be the torch bearer of knippla soup for generations to come! You should give it a try- it's definitely a carb lovers delight!