Recipes out of the Blond Box

For soup:
3 cups water or broth
2 medium onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
2 cups fresh or canned tomatoes, cut up and including juice
2 carrots, sliced
2 potatoes, diced
1 – 2 cups other vegetables

For thickening the broth:
½ cup butter
½ cup whole wheat flour
salt and pepper to taste

For dumplings:
2 cups whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup minced fresh parsley
¼ cup shortening
1 egg, slightly beaten
¾ cup milk

In a large covered pot, cook vegetables and water or broth until the firmest ones are barely tender (approximately 30 min.). Melt butter in small saucepan and stir in flour to make a smooth paste. Mix in 1 or 2 cups of the hot broth to make a lump-free sauce. Add salt and pepper, then gradually stir this thickening into the large pot of soup.

For the dumplings, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the shortening in the parsley, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. In a separate bowl, mix the egg and milk, and blend into the dry ingredients until they are just dampened. Drop the batter by spoonfuls on top of the boiling soup, cover the pot, and simmer for 12 min. before serving.

Serves 6