Dumplings / die Knödel

Summer has begun. Seventeen hours and twenty three minutes of daylight. Schnürlregen with no end in sight. A high of 57 degrees Fahrenheit. Some summer.

Because of our miserable excuse for a summer, I planned on making goulash (actually a stew because real goulash has no vegetables in it) for dinner; a good hearty warm meal to warm chilled bones at the end of June. Coincidentally, Peter discovered handmade Knödel (dumplings) at the far end of the deli area today and thought they would be good for dinner. In Austria and Germany, goulash and dumplings are constant companions.

About the size of a baseball, a Semmelknödel is similar to stuffing, made with white bread crumbs, milk, and egg yolks. Herbs can be added or not. They are then formed into balls, tightly pressed, left to set for a while, and then boiled in water for fifteen minutes or so. Knödel can also be made out of potato flour or semolina for a different flavor. Sometimes, the Knödel is shaped like a loaf of bread and wrapped in cloth napkins before boiling; these are called Serviettenknödel (napkin dumplings). There are even sweet Knödel with plums or apricots or a sweet creamy cheesy filling cooked in the middle and served for dessert.

We are all big fans of Knödel and have tried making them a couple times without much success. The recipes we've tried leave out the "let them set" instruction, which seems to be of utmost importance now that we've seen them professionally made (but not yet cooked). I must say, though, that the Knödel is somewhat unappealing in presentation. "What are those nasty looking balls?" I have been asked. In the Czech Republic, they slice their dumplings (which they call knedlicky) before serving them, which improves their appearance greatly. But, we are in Salzburg, not Prague -- hence the big round nasty looking balls on our dinner plates.

No matter how you slice it, however, Knödel are terrific - especially on a wintry June day.