Clear, colorful vegetable soup with small bread dumplings

Ingredients for 10 servings:

• 1 m.-large kohlrabi
• 1 cauliflower
• 1 broccoli
• 2 large carrots
• 1 leek(s)
• ½ celery root
• 1 large onion(s)
• 4 spring onions
• some stalks of celery, only the leaves
• 1 bunch curly parsley
• Salt and pepper, white, from the mill
• 3 tbsp oil (sunflower oil)
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• 6 leaves of basil, freshly picked
• 2 leaves of tarragon
• 2 liters of water
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 egg(s)
• 1 cup breadcrumbs, preferably homemade
• Salt and pepper, black, from the mill
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• 1 cup broth, taken from the soup

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour

light starter soup made from fresh vegetables, where eyes and nose eat together

Wash all vegetables thoroughly and discard any spoiled parts (remove wilted leaves and woody parts, as well as carrot and onion skins). Peel the vegetables where necessary. Remove the stems from the parsley and celery. Reserve the peels and tender leaves from kohlrabi, cauliflower, celery root, and broccoli, along with the parsley stalks and celery fronds. Bring a large pot of water with a little salt (about 1 teaspoon per liter) to a boil and simmer the reserved vegetable scraps (peels, stems, tender leaves) thoroughly over low heat. Meanwhile, finely dice the celery root (approx. 6 x 6 x 6 mm), quarter or sixth the carrots lengthwise and cut into 3-4 mm thick slices, and finely dice the large onion. Finely slice the leek. Cut the kohlrabi into eighths vertically and into 3-4 mm thick slices. Remove the larger outer florets from the peeled cauliflower and broccoli and set aside. Only the finer florets from the top center are suitable for the soup; the rest can be used as a side dish to the main course or frozen for later. Now cut the broccoli and cauliflower into florets the size of a mocha teaspoon. Heat sunflower oil in a pan or wok and then add the diced celery, carrot slices, and onion until translucent. Finely strain the stock from the vegetable peels and stalks; discard any residue. Take about 1/8 liter of the stock for the garnish. Return the vegetable stock to the heat and first add the braised vegetables from the pan. After 2-3 minutes, add white pepper, add a little more salt if necessary, and let everything simmer gently. When the carrot and celery are almost cooked but still firm to the bite, add the kohlrabi slices, followed by the broccoli, cauliflower, and spring onion bulbs, simmering for about 2-3 minutes. Let everything simmer over a very low heat until further notice. Make sure the vegetables still have some bite and don’t get too soft. Season with salt, white pepper, tarragon, and basil. The vegetables should be able to float slightly in the broth. If necessary, top up with more water and then season again with the spices mentioned above.*) Now for the filling: Mix the butter with the egg, a little salt, a pinch of nutmeg, and some black pepper, then mix with the breadcrumbs and some of the reserved vegetable stock to form a smooth but relatively firm mixture. Scoop out small amounts of this mixture and shape into small dumplings. To finish the dumplings, I take about a liter of the pure broth shortly before serving and cook the dumplings in a separate pot until they float and are still slightly cooked after being removed from the heat. The main part of the soup is only heated to around 70-80°C and then the broth with the finished dumplings is added again. Now add the leek rings and the finely chopped onions to the broth. Add the not too finely chopped celery leaves and let them steep for another five minutes. The finely chopped parsley leaves are only sprinkled over the portions when serving. *) I like to prepare the soup up to this point the evening before eating and let it steep further overnight while it cools. In this form, the soup is only intended as a starter soup. I do not thicken it or add diced potatoes to maintain a nice appearance and to avoid overly filling the soup.