Rivel soup is gilding the lily of a Pennsylvania Dutch staple, chicken-corn soup. Chicken-corn soup stands always pop up at firehall fundraisers, public auctions, town fairs, and church festivals in that part of the country and people tear into it. Rivels are just little dumplings added to the soup.
For the soup:
- 1 4 lb. to 7 lb. chicken, cut up into fryer parts (breasts, thighs, legs, wings)
- 3 quarts water
- 1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 lbs. fresh-frozen corn (white, not that yellow carp bait)
- salt and pepper to taste
For the rivels:
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups flour
- pinch of salt
Put all the soup ingredients but the corn in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour. Remove the chicken and cool; loosely strain the stock and let cool. Remove skin and bones from meat, chop meat, and refrigerate. Skim the fat from the stock (or leave it in there – adds flavor, but not that healthy), and bring the stock to a low boil.
Now beat the two eggs in a bowl, and add the flour and salt, mixing with a fork until it clumps into small lumps, about cherrystone size. Drop the lumps in the hot stock, stirring the stock, so they don’t stick together. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes after last rivel is added, then add corn and chicken. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes, and serve. Have plenty of Kleenex handy; grandmother always said good soup makes your nose run.
