Traditionally made in the south of Germany and Austria, these addictive dumplings are best made with traditional speck from a German small goods maker and served in homemade stock. Use finely chopped tempeh as a vegetarian substitute. Sauerkraut can be found in the refrigerated section of health-food stores and can also be served in the soup alongside the dumplings.
Ingredients
(Serves 4)
1 onion, finely chopped
250 g speck or bacon, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
150 g sourdough breadcrumbs
80 g sour cream
3 eggs
70 g sauerkraut, drained & finely chopped
½ tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
50 g unsalted butter
1 ½ litres best quality golden chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup mixed Italian parsley leaves & celery leaves
Method
- Place the breadcrumbs in a bowl together with the sauerkraut and thyme.
- Gently fry the onion and speck together with the olive oil in a frying pan until lightly browned and softened. Tip into the bowl with the breadcrumbs and stir to combine.
- Mix through the eggs and sour cream to make a wet but not sloppy mixture. Leave for 30 minutes for the breadcrumbs to absorb.
- Shape into 2cm diameter dumplings and gently fry in the butter until golden.
- Heat the stock, season if necessary and serve in bowls with the dumplings and garnished with the Italian parsley and celery leaves.
