Chicken and Dumpling Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 domestic chicken weighing 1 kg.
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 celery root, peeled and finely diced
• 1 turnip, peeled and finely diced
• 1 rutabaga, peeled and finely diced
• 1 onion, peeled and finely diced
• 1 fennel root, peeled and finely diced
• 4 cups white wine
• 1 tbsp toasted fennel seeds
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup of milk
• 0.5 cup chicken fat (fresh or frozen)
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
• 0.5 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 and 1/4 cups premium flour
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:

1. In a 6-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic, carrots, celery root, turnip, rutabaga, onion, diced fennel, and a large pinch of salt; cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Add wine, 6 cups water, fennel seeds, thyme, and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Add the chicken and simmer for 2 hours. Then remove the chicken and let cool. Shred the meat and set aside.
3. About 15 minutes before the chicken is done, prepare the dumplings. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, chicken fat, 1 tablespoon tarragon, nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper; bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat, add the flour, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens. Beat in the eggs one at a time and knead into a dough.
4. Bring the soup to a boil. Form the dough into eight dumplings (an ice cream scoop works well here) and drop them into the soup. Cover and simmer until the dumplings float to the surface, about 10 minutes.
5. Add the chicken, parsley and the remaining 1 tablespoon of tarragon to the soup, mix thoroughly and ladle into warm bowls.