Wednesday, April 7, 2021

Chick Peas and dumplings



 ¼   cup nutritional yeast flakes or 3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

6  Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for serving

1  medium onion, finely chopped

¾  tsp. ground turmeric, divided

½  tsp. kosher salt, plus more

2  Tbsp. yellow miso

4  garlic cloves, divided

1  15.5-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed, or 1½ cups cooked chickpeas

1  cup chickpea flour

½  tsp. baking powder

½  tsp. cayenne pepper

Freshly ground black pepper

½  cup finely chopped dill

⅓  cup plain Greek yogurt, plus more for serving

2  medium or 3 small celery stalks, thinly sliced on a diagonal

Preparation

Step 1

Place nutritional yeast in a small bowl or measuring cup and pour in ⅔ cup hot water; stir to combine. Set aside.

Step 2

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil over medium in a medium pot. Add onion and ½ tsp. turmeric, season with salt, and cook stirring often, until onion is softened and starting to brown around the edges, 5–7 minutes.

Step 3

Add miso to the pot and finely grate in 3 garlic cloves. Cook, stirring and smashing down on miso constantly until miso starts to darken and stick to the bottom of the pot (similar to tomato paste), about 2 minutes. Add chickpeas and stir to coat. Carefully pour in golden liquid that’s floating atop the reserved soaking nutritional yeast, leaving as much of the sediment behind as you can (about ½ cup should remain but don’t stress if little slips in); discard. Add 4 cups of water. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat so the mixture is at a gentle simmer, cover pot, and cook soup while you make the dumpling batter.

Step 4

Whisk together the chickpea flour, baking powder, cayenne, ½ tsp. salt, and remaining ¼ tsp. turmeric. Season generously with black pepper. Add dill, ⅓ cup yogurt, 4 Tbsp. oil, and 2 tsp. warm water, then finely grate in remaining garlic clove. Stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until no dry spots remain. Your dough should be thick and sticky.

Step 5

Using damp hands, form dough into 10 balls (the easiest way to do this is to divide the dough in half, then divide each half into 5 pieces); place on a cutting board as you go. Gently drop dumplings into soup, cover pot, and simmer gently, until dumplings puff dramatically and float to the surface (to check for doneness, take 1 out and cut it open; it should be cooked through—the interior should look soft and not too dense), 7–9 minutes. Add celery, being careful not to smush dumplings, and simmer, uncovered, until celery is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Season broth with salt and black pepper.

Step 6

Ladle broth and dumplings into bowls and top with a dollop of yogurt. Drizzle with oil and season with more black pepper.