Chicken Soup with Dumplings

Wash and clean the chicken and vegetables.

Place in a pot and pour enough water to cover them well. I had a three liter pot here. Bring to the boil.

When it starts to boil, skim off the foam. Add the bay leaf and turn the heat to low. Simmer for one hour. If it's an older chicken, cook until the meat is soft.

As soon as you put the chicken to boil, start making the dumpling mixture. It's better to let sit so that semolina will swell while the soup is simmering.

Separate the egg whites from the yolks (I used two eggs).

Add a little salt and beat the egg whites until stiff.

Add the yolks and mix.

Measure four tablespoons of semolina and mix in with a whisk. Beat until lump-free.

Set the bowl aside for about 30-40 minutes. Semolina will swell up and the dumplings will be softer and fluffier.

When the meat is done, remove the vegetables from the soup. Or, if you like, you can leave them in the soup, finely chopped.

I now wanted a clear soup, I used the vegetables for something else.

Adjust the salt, add the finely chopped parsley and, optionally, half an onion, raw, finely chopped.

Turn off the heat immediately and let the soup infuse.

Meanwhile, we make the dumplings.

I prefer boiling them in a separate pot. If, by any chance, you don't get the dumplings right from the first, you won't spoil the soup. And also I don't like to see semolina rags in the soup.

So, bring a pot with water to the boil. Add one teaspoon of salt.

When it starts to boil, remove from the heat.

Soak a tablespoon in cold water.

Scoop a bit of semolina mixture with this spoon.

And gently drop it in the pot with boiled water.

If the dumplings fall apart, add one more tablespoon of semolina to the mixture.

Return the pot with the dumplings over low heat and boil for about 5 minutes. During this time, the dumplings will swell and increase in volume.

Be careful not to cook too many dumplings at once. They will break and you won't be able to control them.

It's better to cook them in two or three batches. Transfer the ones that are done to the soup, while the others are still boiling.

This is what happens if you boil too many dumplings and the mixture is too soft. But, because the soup is in a separate pot, this can be fixed. Place another pot with water over heat, add a little more semolina to the mixture and repeat the above procedure.

I purposely wanted to show you this step. Don't be afraid if something goes wrong, anything can be fixed or solved.

Move the dumplings which are done to the chicken soup and let infuse for another five or ten minutes.

Serve the soup and savour :)

Enjoy!