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Cheese dumplings

Cheese dumplings (pressed) - Kaspressknödel: A typical Austrian dish - the best dumplings are flat dumplings…

What would Austria be without dumplings? Dumplings exist in a variety of shapes and sizes. They can be served not only as a main course, but also in soups, as side dishes or desserts. Some dumplings are filled and some, like Kaspressknödel, are not. They can be savoury, filled with vegetables, or sweet filled with fruit. Cheese dumplings were originally eaten by farmers throughout Austria. Dumplings were often made out of the farm's own produce, so there was no need to buy ingredients. Bread, potatoes and flour were used for the dough. In addition eggs, butter, left-over meats, bacon or fruits from the garden were used to fill them.

Where do cheese dumplings originally come from? This question is almost impossible to answer. Tyroleans claim that they invented them. The Bavarians claim that cheese dumplings are made according to a traditional Bavarian recipe. And last, but not least, the south Tyroleans claim that cheese dumplings come from their region. Whatever the origins of them, we are glad to be able to enjoy them today.

When making dumplings the kind of cheese used is of particular importance. It should be a strong cheese with a lot of flavour. In Austria they are predominately made using either Pinzgauer beer cheese or grey cheese from Tirol. You can experiment with which ever cheese you like.

As well as using left-overs, another advantage of cheese dumplings is that they are easy to prepare. Not many ingredients are needed and these can be varied. Cheese dumplings can be served in a soup, with sauerkraut or with a salad - in fact with almost anything.

Today cheese dumplings are served and eaten throughout Austria. They are not only plain fare but also a favourite at ski huts and probably always will be.

Ingredients

• 250 g white bread finely diced (with crust removed)
• 250 ml milk
• 2-3 eggs
• 250 g grated cheese (Pinzgauer beer cheese, Tyrolean grey cheese )
• 50g butter
• 1 onion
• pinch of salt, pepper, parsley, caraway seeds
• flour

Directions

Mix the eggs with the milk. Soak the white bread in the mixture. Knead and then let it rest while you brown the thinly sliced onions with butter in a pan. Add the onions, salt, pepper, parsley, caraway seeds and the grated cheese to the white bread. Add the flour and let the mixture rest for a further 10 minutes. Form dumplings that are approximately the size of a golf ball, then press them flat (about 2-3cm thick ). Forming them is eaiest when your hands are slightly wet. Heat some butter or oil in a pan and put in the pressed cheese dumplings. Cook them on one side and then the other until golden brown. Place the dumplings on a paper towel to absorb the excess fat. Finally, serve them in a beef broth, with sauerkraut or a green salad. Enjoy!