AI-generated image
Fliederbeersuppe
Elderberry soup with dumplings
Hot elderberry soup with apple and semolina dumplings
GermanIn northern Germany, from Hamburg to Schleswig-Holstein, the elder bushes hang heavy with black berries in late summer, and a bowl of hot Fliederbeersuppe is a harvest-time comfort around Erntedank, said to keep colds away for the winter. The dark purple soup is sweet and tart, with pieces of apple and little fluffy semolina dumplings (Grießklößchen) floating on top. It is eaten as a first course or a light supper, hot in autumn and sometimes cold in summer. Important: elderberries must be fully ripe, stripped from every stem and always cooked, as raw berries, stems and leaves can make you sick. Chef's tip: strip the berries with a fork straight into a bowl; it is quick and leaves the green stems behind.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dumplings
- 1 cup milk
- ⅔ oz butter
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 ⅝ oz fine semolina
- 1 eggbeaten
- 1 pinch grated nutmeg
For the soup
- 1 ⅛ lb ripe elderberriesstripped from all stems
- 4 ¼ cups water
- 2 tart applespeeled, cored and cut into wedges
- 3 ½ oz sugar
- 2 tbsp cornflourmixed with 4 tbsp cold water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (6)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: For the dumplings, bring the 1 cup milk, ⅔ oz butter and 1 pinch salt to the boil. Pour in the 2 ⅝ oz fine semolina all at once and stir hard over a low heat for 1–2 minutes until it forms a smooth ball that leaves the sides of the pan.
5 minStep 2: Let it cool for 5 minutes, then beat in the 1 egg and 1 pinch grated nutmeg until smooth. Leave it to firm up for 10 minutes while you make the soup.
10 minStep 3: Pick over the 1 ⅛ lb ripe elderberries once more and throw away any green, unripe berries and every bit of stem.
5 minStep 4: Simmer the berries with the 4 ¼ cups water, 1 cinnamon stick and 1 strip of lemon peel for 15 minutes until they have burst and the liquid is inky.
15 minStep 5: Press through a fine sieve into a clean pan, pushing with a ladle, and throw away the skins and seeds. A common mistake is skipping the sieve; the seeds are bitter and gritty.
5 minStep 6: Add the 2 tart apples and 3 ½ oz sugar and simmer for 5–8 minutes until the apples are just tender but still hold their shape.
8 minStep 7: Stir in the 2 tbsp cornflour mixture and simmer for 1–2 minutes until the soup thickens slightly and turns glossy. Add the 1 tbsp lemon juice and taste for sweetness.
3 minStep 8: Using two wet teaspoons, drop small oval dumplings into the barely simmering soup. Cook for 6–8 minutes, without letting it boil hard, until they float and are cooked through when you cut one open. Serve hot.
8 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 60 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does fliederbeersuppe take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Tiyula itumBlack beef soup
Tiyula itum, 'black soup', is the pride of the Tausug people of Sulu in the far south of the Philippines, cooked for weddings, Eid celebrations and when guests come home. Beef (it is a halal, pork-free dish) is simmered with ginger, lemongrass and turmeric, then darkened with pamapa itum, a paste of grated coconut toasted until almost black and pounded with spices. The broth looks dramatic but tastes smoky, earthy and gently peppery, with heat from chillies. Serve it with plain rice. Chef's tip: toast the coconut slowly, stirring all the time, until it is very dark brown but not ashy; burnt-to-ash coconut tastes bitter and ruins the soup.
Filipino
Ful nabitSprouted fava bean soup
Sprouted beans are ladled out with their cooking liquor in Cairo homes when the weather turns cold or someone is feeling run down, and Egyptians swear by the broth as a pick-me-up. The beans are soaked and left to sprout for a few days, then simmered with onion, garlic and cumin into a light, earthy soup that is sharpened at the table with plenty of lemon. You can eat the beans with a spoon or pop them from their skins. Allow 3 to 4 days for sprouting, although the hands-on work is only about 20 minutes. People with G6PD deficiency (favism) must not eat fava beans. Chef's tip: stop the sprouting when the shoots are about 1 cm long; longer sprouts taste grassy and bitter.
Egyptian
Miso soup
Miso soup (味噌汁) is drunk every day in homes all over Japan, at breakfast as well as dinner, beside a bowl of rice. The base is dashi; this vegan version uses kombu and dried shiitake instead of bonito, which gives it a deep, rounded flavour. Silken tofu and wakame seaweed are the classic fillings. It takes ten minutes; just remember not to boil the miso. Chef's tip: add the miso at the very end and never let it boil. Boiling kills the miso's fresh, fermented aroma; Japanese cooks say the soup should only 'smile', with the surface barely trembling.
Japanese