Chicken and Dumplings

For the stew:

1 quart chicken stock, homemade or store-bought

3 to 3 1/2 pounds chicken thighs and breasts, skin-on, bone-in, trimmed of excess fat

2 teaspoons butter or extra virgin olive oil, or a combination of both

Salt

1 large onion, roughly chopped (about 2 cups)

2 to 3 ribs celery, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)

3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup dry sherry or vermouth, optional

3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

1 tablespoon heavy cream, optional

Ground black or white pepper

For the dumplings

2 cups (250g) cake flour (see recipe note)

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup minced fresh herb leaves such as parsley, chives, and tarragon, optional

2 tablespoons butter, melted

3/4 cup milk

Bring the chicken stock to a simmer. Salt the chicken. In a separate, deep pan, heat the olive oil and brown the chicken in batches starting skin-side down to render the fat from the skin. Turn off heat. Remove and discard skin from chicken. Simmer chicken in stock over low heat for ~20 minutes. Remove chicken and when cooled, remove meat from bones and chop into 1-2” chunks. Using pan used to brown chicken, saute onions, celery, carrot and thyme until soft but not browned (~4-5’). Add flour to vegetables and cook 4-5’, stirring constantly to prevent it from burning. Add sherry, followed by chicken stock—one ladle-full at a time to prevent the flour from clumping. Add the chicken and simmer while preparing the dumplings. 

For the dumplings: Mix flour, baking powder, salt and option herbs. Add melted butter and melt and mix until just combined. Drop dumplings into chicken broth by heaping teaspoon-full. Cover and simmer for 15’. Do NOT uncover the pan. After 15’, check dumpings with a toothpick and cook and additional 5-10’ if necessary. Gently stir in peas, parsley and cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Source.  

Haselnuss-Spätzle

 Source.

300 g flour

4 eggs

100 g ground hazelnuts

salt

Mix flour, eggs, hazelnuts and a pinch of salt with enough water (~100 ml) to make Spätzle dough and mix until the dough can make bubbles. Let the dough rest 10 minutes and then put through a Spätzle maker directly into lightly boiling water. Simmer until the Spätzle float and remove to a strainer with a slotted spoon. 

Maultaschen

Noodledough

• 500g all purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2-3 tablespoons water

Mix the flour and salt. Mix the eggs into the flour/salt mixture as you would to make pasta or in a kitchen machine, adding 2-3 tablespoons of water, as required, to make a smooth dough. Knead well (about 10 minutes) to make an elastic dough. Wrap tightly in cling wrap, and rest in fridge at least 30 minutes.

Filling

• 200g sausage filling (ideally veal)
• 200g ground beef
• 200g ground pork
• 150g cubed bacon
• 1 onion, finely cubed
• 2 tablespoons parsley, finely choped
• 150 g frozen spinach (or wilted fresh spinach)
• 1 small, stale white roll soaked in milk (or use three slices white bread)
• 1 egg
• salt, pepper, nutmeg and lovage

1. Add bacon to hot pan and fry briefly to release fat. Add the onion and fry until translucent. Add parsley and fry briefly. Remove pan from heat and allow mixture to cool completely.

 2. Thaw spinach, squeeze it out, and chop finely. Squeeze milk out of the bread roll. Thoroughly mix meat, onion mixture, bread roll and egg together. Season to taste with salt, pepper, nutmeg and lovage. If possible, pass mixture through the meat grinder using smallest setting, and be sure to mix thoroughly (e.g. using stand mixer with paddle attachment).

Assembly

• 1 egg, beaten
• Beef broth

 1. Roll out noodles with the help of a pasta machine to thickness setting ~5. Be sure to sprinkle plenty of flour between noodle layers to prevent noodles from sticking to one another.

2. Spoon or pipe filling down the center ~1/3 of the length of the noodle, leaving ~2 cm free at both ends. Brush the ends and the further free 1/3 of the noodle with the egg mixture. Fold the bottom 1/3 over the filling and the the top 1/3 (the bit with the egg on it) over the bottom 1/3. With the help of a wooden spoon handle, divide into individual Maultaschen by pressing down perpendicular to the noodle.

3. Gently place Maultashen into gently boiling beef broth, turn off the heat and allow to poach for ~15 minutes.

4. Serve immediately with broth and sprinkled with parsley. Alternatively, freeze and reheat by poaching/simmering in beef broth.

Makes about 50-60 Maultaschen. The referenced recipe makes about twice as much filling as noodle.








 

Soup Dumplings

• 1/2 Cup flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• a pinch of salt
• 1/4 Cup milk

Mix dry ingredients.  Add milk and stir just until mixture comes together in a smooth dough.  Drop by spoonfuls into simmering soup, and cook 10-15 minutes depending on size of dumpling.  Makes ~8 golf ball sized dumplings.

Semmelknödel mit Pilzrahmsoße (Bavarian Bread Dumplings with Mushroom-Cream Sauce)

A friend of mine found this recipe on the website for the German Embassy years ago. However, it appears to have been taken down in the intervening years.

Makes: 4 Knödel - 2 servings as a main dish, 4 servings as a side

Cost per serving (Heidelberg): ~€2.26 as a main dish, ~€1.13 as a side

Calories per serving: ~832 as a main dish, ~416 as a side

Semmelknödel

• 250g plain white bread (e.g. a baguette) or Broetchen (Bavarian: "Semmel") cut into ~1cm /½" cubes
• 2 pieces of crispy-fried bacon, thoroughly crumbled
  
• 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 egg, beaten
• 85g (6Tblsp.) milk
• 2 Tblsp. onion, minced
• 1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. butter
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. salt
• freshly ground pepper

Saute onion and garlic in butter until lightly browned. Pour milk over onion and garlic, and simmer ~1 minute. Add herbs to milk mixture, and pour over bread cubes. Add egg, bacon, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix ingredient thoroughly (Don't be too gentle--the mixture will resemble a dough when it is ready). Divide dough into 4 equal parts, and press tightly into balls using wet hands. Gently lower the Semmelknödel into lightly salted, simmering water with a slotted spoon and cook, covered, for ~3 minutes.


Mushroom Cream Sauce

• 250g white or brown champignons (or use your favorite kind of mushroom, e.g. Chanterelles), sliced
• 3/4 cup onion, chopped (or the remainder of the medium onion from above)
  
• 2 Tblsp. oil
• 1/4 cup (~125ml) chicken stock
• 1/4 cup (~125g) creme fraiche or heavy cream
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to tase
• 1 Tblsp. chopped chives

Saute mushrooms and onions together over medium/medium-low heat for three minutes. Add chicken stock, and reduce by half. Add creme fraiche or cream and simmer for an additional two minutes. Season to taste with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
Spoon sauce into bowl, and place Semmelknödel (1-2 per person depending on appetite and whether there will be any other dishes) on sauce. Garnish with chives.