Knedliks are a popular dish in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The name "dumplings" originated from the German word "knödel" (it can be translated as "dumpling"). The name was fixed in the Czech language (in the Slovak language, its slightly different pronunciation) to the beginning of the XIX century, and the dumplings themselves became a national dish of Czechs and Slovaks. Traditional classic dumplings recipes come from Austrian culinary traditions, more specifically, from Viennese recipes, later refined in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, which were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Dumplings are boiled dough products (or potato), sometimes with a filling (it can be sweet, for example, fruit or non-sweet). Dumplings from cottage cheese are also popular.
How to cook dumplings?
Dumplings are boiled in water or steam. They are either formed in the form of balls, or first they form a thin loaf of dough, which is cut into slices, after which the dumplings are cooked. Dumplings, cooked according to Czech recipes, in particular dumplings with filling (in the form of large enough balls), can be served as a separate dish. Dumplings without a filling are usually served with meat dishes (for example, with beef goulash) and / or various thick sauces. Prepare and soup with dumplings (for soup they make in the form of small balls and call "dumplings"). Dumplings are added to the soup near the end of the cooking process and boiled for a few minutes. Soup with dumplings is also a very popular dish in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Knedliks: classic recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 kg of wheat flour;
- 0,5-0,6 liters of milk;
- 30 grams of yeast;
- 80 grams of natural butter;
- a little salt;
- a pinch of sugar.
Preparation of the dough:
We must sift flour and sow. Yeast is diluted in a small amount of warm milk (150 ml) with a small amount of flour and sugar. Let's stand in a warm place for 15 minutes. We knead the dough with the opal, melted butter and warm milk, gradually adding flour. You can add 1-2 eggs. The dough should not turn out steep, it should be soft. We knead thoroughly, better with hands. We roll the dough into a bowl, put it in a bowl, cover it with a clean linen napkin and leave it for 20-30 minutes.
How to make dumplings?
We knead the dough and form the balls (can be stuffed). Or we form sausages from the dough and cut them into slices. Cook the dumplings for a couple (20 minutes) or simply in boiling water in a saucepan (then it turns out faster), like dumplings or vareniki. If dumplings are unsweetened, it is good to pour them with some thick sauce, for example, with butter, sour cream, dill and garlic - it will be very tasty. You can serve with a thick goulash. Or pour them with melted fat and serve with a chopped green onion. The recipe, of course, is Czech, but if we serve beer with dumplings, then in small quantities, otherwise it will be difficult to get up from the table. If we serve dumplings with meat dishes, it's better to choose dark beer. And it's better to give some wine, Bohemian or Moravian.
Potato dumplings
Potato dumplings are also very tasty. The recipe for their preparation is very complex.
Ingredients:
- 500 g of potatoes;
- 1-2 chicken or 5 quail eggs;
- flour - 200 g;
- salt - to taste;
- also to taste - lard;
- fried onion.
Preparation:
We put a saucepan on the fire with salt water. Quickly clean potatoes and three on the smallest grater. We act quickly so that the potatoes do not darken. Part of the formed juice is drained. Add to the grated potatoes eggs, flour, add salt and knead the dough. You can roll balls with your hands, but you can separate small pieces of dough with a spoon dipped in water, and lower it into a boiling water in a pan. Cook potato dumplings for 6-8 minutes, gently stirring. Hot dumplings from potatoes are watered with melted pork lard and fried onion, chopped finely. It is also good to serve sauerkraut separately.