Dave's North Dakota Knoephla Soup

I was introduced to knoephla soup during a 2010 project at St. Alexius Medical Center in Bismarck, ND.  My co-worker Dave kindly shared his wife's recipe for this cold-weather favorite.  Serve with some fresh baked bread and a salad.

Knoefla ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg
• milk or water

Soup ingredients

• 3 cups cubed potatoes
• 2-3 carrots, peeled and cubed
• 1 large onion
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1-2 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup butter
• 4 cups milk (2% recommended)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• optional - 1-2 cooked chicken breasts, cubed

Directions for Knoefla (dumplings)

1. Mix flour, salt, baking powder and egg
2. Mix with enough milk or water to make a stiff dough
3. Roll dough into 1/2 inch thick strips
4. Cut strips into bite-sized pieces and add to boiling soup

Directions for soup

1. Saute onion in butter
2. Add chicken broth, potatoes, carrots and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork tender.
3. Add milk and bring to a boil. When boiling, add knoephla dumplings to boiling pot.
4. Turn off heat when noodles are soft and come to the top of the soup
5. Add cream
6. Stir and serve