Ingredients

  • Consomme
  • 1/4 Cup Vegetable oil
  • 3 Lbs Chicken wings, backs, necks, etc.
  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 2 large leeks (white part only), chopped
  • 5 large carrots, chopped
  • 3 quarts chicken stock
  • Stems from 1 large bunch of parsley
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 TBS dried thyme
  • 2 egg whites
  • Dumplings
  • 1 1/2 Lbs yams
  • 1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 6 cups water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup amontillado Sherry
  • Fresh ground pepper
  • 4 oz baby spinach leaves, cut into julienne

Method

  • For consomme
  • Heat oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Pat chicken dry and cook until browned, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add onions, leeks and carrots. Cook until vegetables begin to brown, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes. Mix in stock, parsley, bay leaves and thyme. Add enough extra stock to cover. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer for 2 hours. Cool slightly.
  • Strain stock, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible. Return pot to heat and simmer until reduced to 2 quarts.
  • Skim off accumulated fat. Put 1 cup of stock in a large bowl and cool to room temperature. Whisk the cup of stock with egg whites in a large bowl. Bring remaining stock to a boil. Slowly stir in egg whites mixture and bring to simmer, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to lowest setting and cook for 20 minutes; do not stir. Gently ladle consomme through a strainer lined with several layers of dampened cheese cloth.
  • For dumplings
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Pierce yams with fork. Bake until very tender, about 1 hour. Cool slightly. Peel, then work through a fine mesh of a food mill. Transfer 1 1/2 cups of puree to a bowl. Mix in flour, eggs, nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and cayenne pepper.
  • Bring 6 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt to a simmer in a large saucepan. Form teaspoons of batter into dumplings with floured hands. Drop in water in batches. After dumplings rise to surface, cook for 5 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon.
  • Bring consomme to simmer. Stir in Sherry, salt and pepper. Add dumplings and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Place spinach in bowls and ladle soup over and serve immediately.