Duck Soup With Dumplings
Recipe by Beulah Pitner of Atwood, Kan., as reported by Helen Dollaghan in the Jan. 7, 1973, edition of The Denver Post.
Ingredients
FOR THE DUCK AND BROTH
1 domestic duckling, 4 to 5 pounds, thawed
3 quarts water
1 large clove garlic, sliced
1 medium whole carrot
2 medium whole stalks celery and leaves
1 small whole onion
1½ teaspoons salt or to taste
½ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons instant chicken bouillon
1 whole clove
FOR THE SOUP AND DUMPLINGS
3 quarts duckling broth (reserved from duck)
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced celery
1 small onion, choppedDuck liver (reserved from duck)10 chicken livers
8 slices Italian bread
½ teaspoon salt
Pepper
½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
Dash of ground nutmeg and clove
1 small clove garlic, crushed3 eggs, beaten
2¼ cups fine, dry packaged Italian style bread crumbs
¼ cup (about) all-purpose flour
Flaked parsley
Directions
MAKE THE DUCK AND BROTH
Thoroughly wash duck. Reserve liver to be used later in dumplings. Combine duck, neck, gizzard and remaining ingredients in large pot. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 1½ hours or longer but not until duck is completely done. Transfer duck to roasting pan. Reserve broth. Place duck under broiler until it is well browned and done. Duck is done when drumstick is moved up and down, and the joint moves easily and breaks. Set aside. (Duck may be cooked a day in advance, wrapped in foil, refrigerated, and reheated to serve.)
Strain broth. Discard vegetables. Finely chop gizzard, pull meat from bones on neck, and return to broth. Add enough chicken bouillon mixed with hot water to make three quarts, if necessary. If broth is excessively greasy, refrigerate until fat rises to top. Remove fat.
MAKE SOUP AND DUMPLINGS
Combine broth, carrot, celery and onion. Put livers in blender and blend until they are puréed but not liquefied. You will need enough chicken livers plus the duck liver to make two-thirds cup after they have been blended. Soak bread and crusts a few minutes in water to cover. Put bread in colander and squeeze out as much water as possible with hands. Combine bread, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, nutmeg, clove, garlic and eggs. Mix well. Add livers and bread crumbs, mixing well with hands. Add enough flour to hold mixture together. Roll small portions of mixture between palms of hands into balls slightly smaller than walnuts.
Bring broth to boiling point. Gently drop dumplings, one at a time, into broth. Stir gently to release any dumplings that stick to the bottom of the pot. Return broth to boiling point. When dumplings start to float, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, about 30 minutes. Garnish with parsley.
Carve duck, and serve with soup and your favorite vegetable or salad.
