Saturday, October 27, 2012

50 States of MoFo: North Dakota: Knoephla




When I looked into North Dakota, I found many appealing options, most drawing on the various European immigrant groups who settled in this state.  I expect I will return to ND to veganize fleischkuekle in due course, but for today, I settled on knoephla, a soup with origins among German immigrants from the Russian empire.  I drew on this recipe with a few changes.

Combine in a large pot:
8 c. water
1 T. nutritional yeast
1 t. poultry seasoning
1 T. vegan bouillon paste
2 chopped ribs of celery
1/2 of a medium butternut squash, peeled and chopped (and/or a couple of carrots)
1 small onion, chopped
2 medium potatoes, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Bring to a boil, and cook till vegetables soften, maybe 15 minutes.    Meanwhile combine:

2 c. all purpose flour
1 T ground flax beaten with 3 T unsweetened nondairy milk until it thickens
1/2 c nondairy milk, plus more as needed.
1 t. salt

Combine until you have a soft dough.  Roll into a rope and cut into pieces the size of the end of a finger.   Tip these into the boiling soup, and cook for about 10-12 minutes, until they are cooked through and rise to the top.

To finish, stir in some unsweetened nondairy milk or nondairy creamer to taste.   I used just a few splashes, but you could go up to the 1 1/2 cups of original recipe if you want your knoephla more milky (or, in the case of creamer, richer).

You could add your choice of vegan protein in place of the chicken found in some traditional recipes - tempeh, tofu, seitan, soy curls, whatever.  We had some Gardein vegan chicken strips in the freezer.  I baked them while the soup cooked, and slipped a couple of them into each soup bowl.    This was an entirely pleasing and hearty meal.  Try it!

No comments: