Wednesday, January 16, 2008

german dumplings

I thought I had some Panni mix, but I didn't, and I decided to make turkey soup with Bavarian potato dumplings tonight for dinner tonight. So here's the recipe I improvised.

2 medium yellow potatoes
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1.5 tsp salt
Grated nutmeg (just a dash)
Stock or water
  1. Scrub and rinse potatoes, and poke holes in them.
  2. Microwave potatoes on high for about 7 minutes.
  3. Place them in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, and let them sit for 10 minutes. Then dump then into a bowl full of ice water to cool them
  4. Peel and then rice the potatoes in a potato ricer
  5. Meanwhile, Bring stock or water to a high boil in a large pot
  6. Add flour, starch, salt and nutmeg. Knead for 3-5 minutes until even. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest about 10 minutes.
  7. Form mixture into 6-8 large, smooth balls.
  8. Lower them carefully into the boiling water/stock, and reduce heat to a simmer
  9. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, or till they float to the top. Take one out and test it (cut it in half, and make sure it is cooked through).
  10. Remove and serve with meat + gravy; or, add the ones you want to use to a soup.
  11. Store remaining dumplings outside of any liquid. For example, slice them up the next day and cook them in some butter.
Results
  • Dough came together & held together perfectly in the stock with no disintegration
  • Good texture:, a bit soft, no graininess (might be desirable), extremely even texture
  • Nice hint of nutmeg flavor
  • Not sure if texture would work for Lithuanian cepelinai, a little too soft and smooth
For Next Time
  • Try steaming/boiling the potatoes to determine effect on texture
  • Try a bit less flour (maybe 1/4 cup?)