This ganseklein soup recipe uses every part of the goose, and geese are expensive so you want to get everything you can from them. You basically slow simmer the giblets and wingtips of the goose until the meat falls off, then chop everything and put it into the broth you just made, add dried fruit and warming spices, then a big glug of vinegar to balance the sweetness. Add a couple of German dumplings in the center and you have a holiday soup that might well be better than the roast goose itself! From Duck, Duck, Goose, by Hank Shaw.
Course Soup
Cuisine German
Prep Time 1hour
Cook Time 4hours
Total Time 5hours
Servings 6
Calories 295kcal
Author Hank Shaw
Ingredients
For the soup
2poundsgoose or duck giblets(such as necks, wings, gizzards, and hearts but not livers)
6cupswater
3 or 4wholecloves
1teaspoondried marjoram leaves
2wholebay leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepperto taste
2tablespoonsduck fator unsalted butter
1largeyellow or white onionsliced stem to root end
1stalkof celerychopped
1wholecarrotpeeled and chopped
1/4cupraisins
1/4cupdried cranberries
10wholeprunespitted and halved
3tablespoonsmalt vinegar or cider vinegar
2teaspoonssugar
For the dumplings
2poundsfloury potatoessuch as russet
2tablespoonsduck fat or unsalted buttermelted
1duck or chicken egglightly beaten
1/4cupbread crumbs
1tablespoonkosher salt
1/2teaspoonground nutmeg
About 1/2cup (3 ounces)all-purpose flour
Instructions
In a Dutch oven or large, heavy pot, combine the giblets and water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, skimming off any scum that floats to the surface. Add the cloves, marjoram, and bay leaves and a healthy pinch of salt. You want the broth to be a little undersalted now, as it will cook down over time. Cover, adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook for at least 2 hours or up to 3 hours, until the meat starts to fall off the neck and wings.
Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, heat the duck fat over medium heat. Add the onion and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, to caramelize it. This will take about 20 minutes or so, and you may need to lower the heat or cover the pan to prevent the onion from burning. Once it is nicely browned, turn off the heat and set aside.
Make the dumpling dough while the soup is cooking. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Stab each potato all over with the tines of a fork, then rub with the duck fat (this helps them cook). Put the potatoes on a rack in the oven and bake for 1 hour, until when pierced with a knife. Remove them from the oven, break them open to release the steam, and let cool for 15 to 30 minutes.
Put the cooked potatoes through a ricer or food mill held over a bowl, or just peel them and mash the potatoes with a fork in the bowl. Add the egg, bread crumbs, salt, nutmeg, and flour and mix just until combined. The dough should be slightly tacky but should still hold together when compressed into a ball. Do not knead the dough like bread dough or the dumplings will be very heavy. Set the dough aside for now.
Once the meats are tender, turn off the heat and fish out the gizzards, hearts, necks, and wings. Roughly chop the gizzards and hearts, and pull off all of the meat from the necks and wings. Return all of the meats to the soup. Add the celery, carrot, caramelized onion, raisins, cranberries, and prunes. Turn on the heat again and bring the soup back to a simmer.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for cooking the dumplings. Shape the dough into little balls, using about 1 tablespoon dough for each ball. When all of the dumplings have been formed, gently submerge them in the boiling water, which should drop in temperature to a simmer. Do not let it return to a boil; you want a gentle simmer for cooking the dumplings.
When the dumplings start bobbing on the surface, which should take 4 to 5 minutes, it is your signal to remove them with a slotted spoon or wire skimmer.
Add the vinegar and sugar to the soup, then season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more of any of these ingredients.
To serve, arrange some dumplings in each bowl and ladle the hot soup over the top. Serve at once.