Dumplings, dumplings and more dumplings.

Now to be honest I have never really thought about it before until I began to look at doing a moth of German recipes how many kinds of dumplings there was in the world. It would be fair to say that tradition German cooking has a lot of dumplings. There are variations of dumplings from region to region, from house to house and from generation to generation. With or without filling , boiled or fried , in soup or in stews, sweet or savoury ,  as a garnish or as the main meal.  But they all have their own place in this section of October recipes so here are just a few dumpling recipes. 

Leberknvdel or Liver Dumplings

254g/9oz beef liver

3 stale German bread  rolls

226ml/½pt milk

99g/3½oz butter

1 small onion

1 egg

salt, pepper to taste

marjoram, parsley

99g/3½oz bread crumbs

Take your sate bread and pour the milk over them to let them soak ,chop the onion and sautie it in butter. Now mix rolls, finely chopped liver and together. Season and add the herbs make a dough with the mix and form dumplings .Boil them for 15 minutes in salted water or deep fry them in hot vegetable oil. Served with or in a hot beef broth or soup or as a main dish with sauerkraut.

Knvderln  aus matze or Matzoh Dumplings

198g/7oz matzoh

5 eggs

56ml/2floz oil

113ml/ ¼pt  water

Salt to taste

If you are wondering matzoh is a Jewish unleavened bread or sort or cracker. Simply beat the eggs and add oil. Then the water and the bread crumbed matzoh and mix well. Let rest for a while until it has taken on all the liquid.  Form small dumplings and simmer them for 10 minutes in salted water. You will find them in things like fish soup.

Kaspressknvderln  or Pressed Cheese Dumplings

198g/7oz cheese Esrom, Appenzeller or Gruyere

4 German bread rolls  

Flour

2 medium-sized boiled potatoes

1/2 pint milk

2 eggs

1 onion

Salt, pepper, nutmeg  to taste

Bread crumb the rolls and place in a bowl. Then whisk the milk, eggs and spices together and pour over the rolls. Fry off the onions and add them to the mix then cover and let it stand for a while. Dice the cheese nice and small and mix that with the mashed potato, add this to the mix and add flour if you need to. From the dumpling ad fry them in oil they make like a cheesy croton for soup.

Wiener Semmelknvdel  or Viennese Bread Dumplings

5 Viennese Bread rolls

113g/4oz butter

113ml/¼pt milk

2 eggs

2 oz flour

1 onion

1 bunch of parsley

salt

Dice the rolls and toast them lightly in the oven so they are just starting to go brown.  In a pan  sautie the onions, finely chopped in butter . Add the chopped parsley and add to the toasted bread cubes. Whisk milk, eggs and salt and pour over the mixture then let this rest for about 1 hour. Finally add the flour to the mix and form the dumplings. It is a sticky mix so wet your hands , simmer them  in salted water 12-15 minutes. Usually served with  Schweinsbraten a pork roast or Rindsbraten , brisket with gravy or Semmelknvdel  a sort of Mushroom ragout.

Innviertler speckknvdel  or Innviertler Bacon Dumplings

452g/1lb boiled potatoes

113g/4oz flour

2tbsp semolina

56g/2oz butter

1 egg

Chopped parsley

Chopped chives

396g/14oz bacon

Salt, pepper

Mash your potato and add the flour, semolina, butter and egg to them and mix until you have a smooth dough . Form it into a roll and then slice the roll in to disks. Mix the finely chopped bacon, parsley, chives and season with salt and pepper. Place that in the middle of a disk of dough and from a ball around the bacon .Cook them for 20 minutes in salted water.

Tiroler knvdel  or Tyrolean Dumplings

5 diced rolls

99g/3½oz bacon

1 onion

1 bunch of parsley

1-2 eggs

226ml/½pt milk

56g/2oz flour

155g/5½ oz smoked meat or sausage

salt, pepper

Start this by frying off the onions and bacon then add the parsley and diced rolls and toss them together. Then whisk the milk and eggs, season with salt and pepper and fold into the mix. Once it has been resting for a while add the  flour and finely chopped smoked meat , form dumplings and cook in salted water for  12 minutes. Serve with Sauerkraut

Marillenknvdel  or Apricot Dumplings

452ml/1pt water

85g/3oz butter

396g/14oz flour

5 eggs

salt

1kg/2lbwhloe  apricots pitted

One sugar cube each apricot

Butter

Bread crumbs

Icing sugar  

Cinnamon

It’s a bit like making choux pastry, add the water to the pan with the butter bring to a boil , stir in the flour and make a paste , work it until it no longer stick to the side of the pan then take of the heat. Then beat in the eggs , turn out and make a log of dough and cut once more into disks. Stuff a sugar cube in each of the apricots and then rap the apricot in the dough.  Poach them in boiling water for about 10 minutes. Garnish then in bread crumbs that have been lightly fired in butter and busted with icing sugar and cinnamon.  You can use  fresh fruits as well like plums or strawberries .

 Germknvdel  or Yeast Dumplings

452/1lb flour

226g/½pt milk

28g/1oz fresh yeast

1-2 eggs

99g/3½oz butter

56g/2oz sugar

A good pinch of salt

plum jam

56g/2oz butter

56g/2oz poppy seed

To make the dough mix about half of the  lukewarm milk, flour, sugar and yeast then let rise. Add the rest of the flour, milk, eggs, butter and a bit of salt to make dough. Knead this for 10 to 15 minutes and let rise again. Take a little bit of dough at a time, fill with very thick plum jam and form dumplings. Simmer for 30-40 minutes in a covered pot. To serve roll them in hot butter, poppy seed  and sugar.