Jeremiah took the soup, chopping carrots in half-moons "because I'm OCD" and slowing down as the knife got close to his fingers. The recipe asked for two cloves of garlic, but his Italian nonna would not approve, so he used "a lot." Butter and garlic sizzled, the veggies went in, and a half cup of beer hit the pot a lot louder than expected. After a spoonful of flour and about 4 ounces more beer ("I can't measure by my eyes"), in went unsalted chicken stock, Northern Spices, whole drumsticks and peas for a long simmer.
Kevin made the dill dumplings by hand, cutting in room-temperature butter ("if you've had a stressful day, just cut some butter in") and adding the milk a bit fast after a couple glasses of wine. We pulled the chicken (175°F, a touch over) and lowered in golf-ball dumplings.
Verdict: the chicken fell right off the bone, "the softest chicken I've had in a while." The dill in the dumplings wasn't too strong, which surprised us, since we may have used more than two tablespoons.
Our next culinary creation is a comforting Steaming Chicken Soup. Fresh vegetables, a glug of beer and a blend of Northern Spices build the base, chicken drumsticks and peas simmer until tender, and no chicken soup is complete without some hearty dumplings.
We eagerly dug into our creations, savoring the comforting warmth of the steaming chicken soup. It's amazing how a simple recipe can transport us to another world.
Steaming Chicken Soup
A hearty chicken drumstick soup with celery, carrots, peas, a splash of beer and Northern Spices, topped with fluffy dill dumplings.
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and let it sizzle for a minute.
Add the carrots and celery and stir to coat them in the garlic butter. Cover and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables soften and a brown fond builds on the bottom of the pot.
Uncover, stir in the flour and cook until it's worked into the butter.
Pour in the beer and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the stock and Northern Spices and stir. Add the whole drumsticks and the peas.
Simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until the chicken reaches at least 165°F and is falling off the bone.
While the soup simmers, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, butter and dill in a bowl. Cut the butter in with your fingers until it's evenly worked through.
Add the milk gradually and mix with your hands until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough. Knead it together briefly; it shouldn't be dry.
Roll the dough into golf-ball-sized dumplings.
Lift the drumsticks out of the soup and set them aside for serving.
Gently lower the dumplings into the simmering soup so they don't splash. Cover and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until cooked through.
Taste and salt the soup. Put a drumstick and a few dumplings in each bowl and ladle the soup over.
Swap the dill for any fresh herb you like, such as thyme or rosemary. Using unsalted stock lets you salt to taste at the end. Have the butter at room temperature so it's easy to cut into the flour, and add the milk slowly. Pairs well with Conjured Mana Buns and a hot herbal tea.
Adapted from World of Warcraft: The Official Cookbook by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel (Insight Editions, 2016).
