One of my favorite reads so far this year is RONIA THE ROBBER’S DAUGHTER by Astrid Lindgren, the author of PIPPI LONGSTOCKING. It’s such a delightful children’s book, complete with a brave heroine, fierce friendship, and an enchanting yet perilous fantasy world. It’s exactly the sort of book that would have become my entire personality if I’d read it when I was 10 years old! I’ll definitely read it to my own kids when they’re old enough. For now, I’ll content myself with making some of the delicious food from the story. Today, we’re making the tasty chicken soup made by Ronia’s mother, Lovis. Let’s get started!
Since RONIA is set in a fantasy version of Scandinavia, I sought out authentic Scandinavian recipes for this menu. Today I’ll be using a slight variation on a Norwegian chicken soup recipe I found on The Norwegian American. It starts with a rich, homemade stock using roasted chicken bones and lots of aromatics. Then it goes on to add carrot, onion, shredded chicken, and rutabaga (a new-to-me addition, which I loved). In the last ten minutes, you spoon in some quick, from-scratch batter to make dumplings.
I gotta say, I LOVED the final product. I think the rutabaga was my favorite part. I was nervous about it at first, but it has this starchy, lightly sweet quality that I found really pleasant. I think I like it better than potato as a soup add-in, since it doesn’t get grainy or mushy when reheated.
So if you’re huddled up in Matt the Robber’s fort with a storm raging outside and harpies screeching in the sky, just hunker down with a comforting bowl of this Norwegian chicken soup with dumplings! Enjoy!