A Soul-Satisfying Soup

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It's a damp, gray, chilly day, and your mood has begun to mirror the elements. What to do? Get out the soup pot! In no time at all, a bubbling broth will fill the house with rich aromas, lifting your spirits and sparking your appetite. And, come suppertime, there'll be bowls of steaming soup, for warming icy fingers and cheering winter-weary hearts.

The recipe below, taken from MOTHER'S Fresh Foods Country Cookbook, makes a hearty soup that, with its whole wheat dumplings, is a meal in itself.

CREAMY VEGETABLE SOUP WITH PARSLEY DUMPLINGS

Soup:

3 cups water or broth
2 medium onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
2 cups fresh or canned tomatoes (cut up tomatoes, include juice)
2 carrots, sliced 2 potatoes, diced
1 or 2 cups other favorite vegetables
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/2 cup whole wheat flour salt and pepper to taste

Dumplings:

2 cups whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup minced parsley
1/4 cup shortening
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 cup milk

In a large, covered pot, cook the vegetables in the water or broth until the firmest ones are barely tender (about 30 minutes). Melt the butter or margarine in a small saucepan and stir in the flour to form a smooth paste. Mix in 1 or 2 cups of the hot broth to make a lumpfree sauce, add salt and pepper, then gradually stir the thickening into the large pot of soup. For the dumplings, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the parsley and shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix the egg and milk, and blend into the dry ingredients until they are just dampened. Drop the batter by spoonfuls on top of the boiling soup, cover the pot, and simmer for 12 minutes before serving. Serves six.

The Fresh Foods Country Cookbook is available from Mother's Bookshelf, P.O. Box 70, Hendersonville, NC 28793, for $14.95 plus $1.98 shipping and handling.