Little Sparrow Pea Soup
- 20m Prep Time
- 25m Cook Time
- 45m Ready In
A hearty Eastern European pea soup with chorizo and tiny spaetzle dumplings, known as 'little sparrows'. The dumplings are made by pressing batter through a colander directly into the simmering soup.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 10/13 oz chorizo finely diced
- 2 cubes frozen crushed garlic
- 6 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 large tomatoes roughly chopped
- 2 carrots peeled and finely sliced
- 1 parsnip peeled and finely sliced
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 3 chicken stock cubes crumbled
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 8/15 oz frozen peas
- 1 small handful parsley leaves picked and chopped
- 3/11 lbs plain flour
- pinch of salt
- 1 egg
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
Estimated based off 13 of 16 identified ingredients (per 100 g food data, scaled by amount).
Vitamins & minerals
- Calcium: 300 mg
- Iron: 4.83 mg
- Magnesium: 67.5 mg
- Phosphorus: 322 mg
- Potassium: 1044 mg
- Zinc: 2.61 mg
Let's Prepare
Collect
Gather these ingredients — no prep needed yet.
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 cubes frozen crushed garlic
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 8/15 oz frozen peas
- 3/11 lbs plain flour
- pinch of salt
- 1 egg
Prepare
- 1 10/13 oz chorizo, finely diced
- Crush 6 garlic cloves
- 2 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and finely sliced
- 1 parsnip, peeled and finely sliced
- 3 chicken stock cubes, crumbled
- 1 small handful parsley, leaves picked and chopped
Let's Cook
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Step 1.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the finely diced chorizo and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until golden and the oil is released. Reduce the heat to low, add the crushed garlic, and cook, stirring continuously, for another 2 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic.
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Step 2.
Add the roughly chopped tomatoes, finely sliced carrots, finely sliced parsnip, and paprika to the pan. Stir to coat for 1 minute, then pour in 1.4 liters (about 6 cups) of boiling water and crumble in the chicken stock cubes. Bring to a boil, season with salt and sugar, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5–10 minutes until the carrots and parsnips are tender.
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Step 3.
While the soup simmers, prepare the dumplings. Sift the plain flour into a large bowl and add a pinch of salt. Make a well in the center, crack in the egg, and stir to combine. Gradually pour in enough cold water, whisking continuously, to form a thick, pourable batter that is smooth.
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Step 4.
Add the frozen peas to the soup and cook for 2–3 minutes until tender. Hold a large-holed colander over the pan of soup and pour the dumpling batter through it, using a wooden spoon to press the batter through the holes. As the drops hit the hot soup, they will form tiny dumplings. Once all batter has passed through, stir the soup and cook for 3–4 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley, ladle into bowls, and serve hot.