Spinach dumplings

Let's find out how to prepare green spinach dumplings, a typical product of Trentino Alto Adige cuisine.

Spinach dumplings are a sort of bread gnocchi typical of Trentino Alto Adige cuisine. They can be found served in broth or dry , seasoned with butter and parmesan. Better yet to try them in the famous trio of dumplings where they are served with cheese, speck and spinach on the same plate.

Born as a recycling recipe, dumplings are prepared with stale bread . Usually the bread for dumplings is a thin-crusted rosette ( kaisersemmel ) but if you can't find it you can opt for another type of bread. The process is really simple so here are all the steps to make this delicious recipe.

How to prepare the recipe for spinach dumplings

1. First, finely chop the onion and brown it together with the garlic clove in butter .
2. Boil the spinach for a couple of minutes then drain and squeeze well with your hands. Then add them to the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Finally, season with salt and flavor with nutmeg .
3. Cut the stale bread into small cubes and place it in a bowl. Then cover with milk , mix and set aside.
4. Blend the spinach (removing the garlic) with the eggs and parmesan then add the mixture to the bread.
5. Start kneading with your hands and incorporate the flour . Season with salt and pepper .
6. Once you have obtained a homogeneous mixture, let it rest covered with a plate for 15 minutes.
7. Take a portion of dough with a spoon and roll it between your hands to obtain a sphere. The correct size is that of an apricot. Dredge them in flour and place them on a tray. Once ready, let them rest for 15 minutes .
8. In the meantime, bring salted water to the boil in a large pan. Dip the dumplings and cook them for 20 minutes .
9. In a separate pan, melt the butter and flavor it to taste with sage.
10. Distribute the dumplings on the plate (usually 3 per portion), season them with melted butter and parmesan . If you like, add chopped chives .

We prefer to enjoy the dumplings dry, served with butter and cheese but if you want you can also cook them and serve them in broth. For this version with spinach we recommend vegetable broth .

In this video you can see all the steps of the recipe. The idea of ​​inserting a cube of cheese in the center which will become stringy during cooking is also excellent.

There really is dumplings for all tastes. If you want to try the more traditional ones then opt for the classic speck ones. To make the trio of dumplings we talked about above, also prepare the version with cheese or beetroot .

But do you know that there are also sweet dumplings , served as dessert? There are different types but the most famous are those with plums and those with apricots .

Conservation

Once cooked they will keep in the fridge for a couple of days . It is also possible to freeze them raw by spreading them on a tray and distributing them into freezer bags once they have hardened.

Origin and history

The origin of spinach dumplings, spinatknödel, is the same as dumplings. In fact, they were born as a recipe for recovery when peasant families exploited the little they had available. In the area between Bavaria and Alto Adige, bread, dairy products and speck were never lacking. With a little ingenuity, which the farmers certainly did not lack, bread dumplings , knödel , were born.

The first certain trace of the birth of dumplings dates back to 1100: we find them present in a fresco dating back to that period. These green dumplings share humble origins with the more traditional recipe. However, they are particularly suitable for those who follow a vegetarian diet . We invite you to consult the classic recipe both to try it and to discover the legend behind this dish.

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