Poverty Soup with Little Dumplings

This soup is simple to make, very cheap, and quite nutritious.  It is adapted from a recipe passed on by Madeleine Kamman who says it originated in the French Alps where people .

SOUP
   3 onions, chopped
   2 carrots, peeled and diced
   6 Tbsp butter
   1/2 tsp crushed aniseeds, or dill seed
   1 tsp ground coriander
   2 tsp ground cumin
   3 quarts water, or the cooking water saved after
      cooking other vegetables (not asparagus)
   1/2 or 1 cup finely chopped spinach, or other greens from your backyard, or a handful of fresh herbs

Melt butter, saute carrots and onions until soft, and add other ingredients, except greens.  Simmer until carrots are tender.  Add greens.  Have dumplings ready, following directions below to finish soup.

LITTLE DUMPLINGS
   1 1/4 cup flour
   3 eggs, beaten
   1 tsp baking powder
   1 tsp salt
   1/2 tsp ground pepper
   1/2 tsp crushed aniseeds
   3/4 cup milk

Mix flour and eggs, baking powder, salt, pepper, and aniseeds with enough milk to form a dough.  Pinch bits of the dough off with the edge of a spoon and drop into gently simmering soup.  When the dumplings float to the top, the soup is ready to eat.