Kniddelen

prep time: 20 mincook time: 30 minservings: 4

Luxembourgian cuisine is oftentimes very old school. Think a big roasted chunk of meat, potatoes and seasonal vegetables. However, there are some gems, which are unsurprisingly still very popular with young and old today.

One of these dishes are wheat flour dumplings, best known as Kniddelen. These are not necessarily unique to Luxembourg, many variations of these dumplings do exist in other European cuisines. However, Kniddelen are dear to many people in Luxembourg and it is one of those dishes where each family has a different recipe by which they swear by. A great place to eat them out in a restaurant is Am Kraeltgen, their recipe is different to the one we will be using, but they are equally delicious.

We have tested different recipes and have finally perfected our version, which uses quite a few eggs as well as quark (curd cheese). Traditionally, Kniddelen are served with fatty bacon bits and apple sauce. However, I prefer mine with bacon and cream sauce. Though we will be making my favorite version today, we will give you some different serving suggestions, including a vegetarian option.

Start of by gathering your ingredients, 500 g of very fine wheat flour (for example 00 flour), sifted in a wide bowl. Season with a big pinch of salt and a small pinch of freshly ground pepper. Making a well in the center, add 4 large eggs, 200 g quark (cheese curds). Using a fork, start to mix in the ingredients into the flour and slowly add the whole milk. We usually need about 250 ml but this can vary depending on the flour you are using, so do not add it all at once but in batches.

Continue adding milk until it all comes together to a smooth, sticky, runny dough. The consistency is key in this recipe, so be careful not to add too much milk. Overall, this only takes a couple of minutes of elbow grease. After your dough has come together and has no more lumps, use the fork to lightly beat some air into the batter for a minute or two. This makes the dumplings extra fluffy and light. Alternatively, you can also add a shot or two of (medium) sparkling water, which helps to create small air pockets in the dough; a trick found in many Luxembourgian dough recipes.

Many recipes out there actually do not use quark. However, I feel that the texture of the Kniddelen can be inconsistent and vary from soft and chewy to dry and floury within one Kniddel. The quark gives the dough more moisture, giving the Kniddelen a more consistent, fluffy texture, even in bigger pieces.

Next, in a large pot, bring a generous amount of water to a boil and season it with an even more generous amount of salt, I am talking seawater saltiness. The water needs to be extra salty as it will help flavor the dumplings as there is only a pinch of it in the dough itself. Using two table spoons, scoop up about a 3/4 tablespoon of dough and slide it into the boiling water. Do not worry about the size and shape of your Kniddelen, I actually like to have a variation of sizes and shapes.

Kniddelen are cooked in batches, so slide about 10 batter dumplings into the water and let them boil for about two minutes. I like to give them a stir as it helps prevent them from sticking together. I would recommend you to do a dry-run with one dumpling to check the cooking time as well as salt content before proceeding to cooking the rest of the dough.

When they come up and swim on the surface you know that they are about done. The dumplings need to be cooked through all the way, so I like to give them another 30 seconds in the water before taking them out. Scoop them up with a slotted spoon and place them on a clean tea towel to dry before transferring them into an oven-safe dish. I like to do this extra step to prevent them from turning mushy.

For the very traditional version, fry up some very fatty bacon bits in a pan, making sure to render most of the fat out. Sprinkle over the dumplings and serve them with apple sauce. However, you could also just toss them in some browned butter, and they would be equally delicious. In the end, what you do with your Kniddelen is up to you. As Chef John might say, you're the king of your dumpling.

I however, like to go a step further, as I enjoy my Kniddelen most with a nice, creamy sauce. Using the same pan in which you fried up the bacon bits, heat up some heavy cream, bring it to a simmer and let it thicken up a bit. Season to taste (be careful, depending on how salty your water was the Kniddelen might already be salty enough), I like to add some freshly ground nutmeg. Simply pour the sauce over the Kniddelen and your bacon bits.

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees on the circulating air setting. Grate some Parmesan or Pecorino over the dish and place in the oven for about 5 to 10 minutes to heat through. Just scoop a couple of spoons of Kniddel-bacon mixture onto a plate, making sure to also include some spoons of the tasty sauce. Sprinkle with some chives and serve.

As a vegetarian option I often like to make a sauce with goat cream cheese. Start of my roasting some hazelnuts in a pan until they are slightly browned. Let them cool before chopping them up. Slowly caramelize some onions in butter until they are softened and golden. In the same pan, bring 100 ml of heavy cream to a simmer and stir in about 100 g of goat cream cheese and season to taste (I like to add fresh thyme). Pour over the Kniddelen in an oven-safe dish, sprinkle over the hazelnuts and heat the mixture through in the oven.

One of Chris' favorites is to serve them with Wainzossis and a mustard sauce. Wainzossis (wine-infused saussages) with mustard sauce is another traditional Luxembourgian dish, as you might have seen in our Am Kraeltgen post. (This simple, yet delicious dish might be a future post, so stay tunes for Chris' take on this national classic.) Fry the wine-infused sausages in a pan until they are evenly browned on all sides. Chop them up into bite-sized pieces and put aside. In the same pan, bring 150 ml of heavy cream to a simmer and stir in 50 g of your favorite mustard. Season to taste and pour over the Kniddelen. Add the sausages to your dish and heat it up in the oven for about 5 minutes.

Tip: Should you have any leftover Kniddelen, just fry them up in a pan and serve them with your favorite sauce. They will be just as delicious!