This is a journey that took a strange twist. I remembered having “fake kubbe” at a friend’s house—spicy, light-textured dumplings served in soup; dumplings which looked like kubbe but had no meat filling. We experimented a lot, trying to re-create them and failing time and again, then we decided to revert to making Ashkenazi kneidl. They worked a treat. Try cooking these dumplings with the beet broth here for a variation on traditional beet kubbe soup.
Dinner for 4, with maybe some left over
3 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and diced
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved lengthways
2 tsp salt
1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and diced in large cubes (about 4 cups)
2 small carrots, peeled and sliced
3 medium celery sticks, sliced
2 whole dried Persian lemons, cut in half (try and get these as they add a great flavor)
½ cinnamon stick
1 heaped tbsp plus ¾ tsp whole fennel seeds
1 heaped tbsp plus ¾ tsp whole coriander seeds
2 medium ripe tomatoes, diced
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp smoky paprika
a pinch of cayenne pepper
8 cups/2 liters water
2 large eggs
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1½ cups/95g matzo meal
¼ cup/60ml sparkling water (for a fluffier texture; but still water also works)
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Sauté until the onions and garlic soften, then stir in the butternut, carrots and celery. Continue cooking till the vegetables start to catch on the bottom of the pan—this will take about 5–10 minutes. Add the Persian lemons, cinnamon stick, fennel seeds, coriander seeds and the rest of the salt. Sauté together for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes and ground spices. Allow to cook for 5 minutes before pouring in the water and bringing the mixture to the boil. Once it has boiled, skim and reduce the heat to a simmer. Partially cover the pan and leave to simmer for 40–50 minutes until all the vegetables are very soft.
While the soup is simmering, whisk the eggs to a fluffy mass with the salt, spices and oil. Slowly whisk in the matzo meal. Finally, whisk in the water. Cover and leave to rest in the fridge for at least half an hour, until your soup is ready.
Use damp hands to form the matzo mixture into sixteen small balls and pop them into the soup. Increase the heat and return the soup to the boil, then reduce back to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes until the dumplings have fluffed up, then serve in wide flat bowls. Allow three or four dumplings per person.