North Croatian Farmers Cheese Dumplings Recipes

NORTH CROATIAN FARMERS CHEESE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Mix well whole eggs and lard. Drain the cheese and add into eggs. Add whole semolina, mix well and leave at least two hours in refrigerator. Longer it stays in refrigerator, better dumplings.
• Heat large pot with water until it boils. Keep boiling.
• Soak your hands in cold water and make balls; Golf-ball size. Put them one after another into boiling water and cook until they start to float on the surface and than 3-5 more minutes. It really depends how hard are your dumplings (that means you have to stick to the recipe).
• To serve as a side dish to meat and sauce, fry some breadcrumbs on butter and put the dumplings into the pan, and fry with breadcrumbs just to stick it to the dumplings. Serve warm.

QUICK SLOVENIAN CHEESE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Crumble cheese. (Can use processor for smoother texture.) Add beaten eggs, salt, butter and flour. Mix well. Chill for easier handling.
• Pat and roll dough with hands on a floured board so it will be 1" in diameter, like a sausage. Cut into 1-1/2" pieces.
• Bring 3 qts. water to a brisk boil and drop in ALL the dumplings. Cook for 15 minutes COVERED. Water must boil briskly all the while.
• Serve with buttered bread crumbs.
• Can make ahead and refrigerate.

CROATIAN BREAD DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Remove crust from bread. Cut the rest of bread into small cubes and dry them in oven. They must become crunchy.
• Make dough mixing milk, flour, eggs, parmesan and salt. Pour over crunchy bread.
• Finely mince onion. Cut bacon into small pieces and fry them but not too much. Bacon will drain some lard, so add oil and sauté onion until becomes translucent. Add parsley leaves and bacon and put it into dough.
• Mix well and leave at least half an hour in refrigerator.
• Make balls with your hand. They must be not larger than tenis balls. To do it better, put your hands in cold water before you form each ball. Put balls into boiling water and cook about 20 minutes. The balls must float, that is the indication they are done.
• Before serving fry in a frying pan some breadcrumbs on butter. Put bread balls on hot butter just for few seconds to cover them with breadcrumbs. For four persons reduce amount of ingredients to 1/4.

CHEESE DUMPLINGS FOR SOUP

Steps:

• Rub butter into the flour until crumbly.
• Mix in the cheese, thyme and about 1/2 cup (125ml) of water or enough to bind the mixture together.
• Roll 2 level teaspoons of the mixture into balls.
• Place in to the soup and simmer covered for 8 minutes or until the dumplings are plump.
• Season to taste and scatter with the lemon rind.

FARMER CHEESE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Make dough:
• Stir together flour and salt in a bowl. Make a well in flour mixture and add egg, oil, and water, then gently beat with a fork, gradually incorporating shallow scrapings from inside flour wall to form a dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface, adding just enough flour to prevent dough from sticking, until dough is smooth and elastic, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Rinse a 2-quart bowl with hot water and dry it, then invert over dough. Let dough stand, covered, 30 to 60 minutes.
• Make cheese filling:
• Stir together farmer cheese, sour cream, egg yolks, salt, and 1 tablespoon bread crumbs in a bowl. Beat egg whites in another bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until they just hold stiff peaks. Fold whites into cheese mixture gently but thoroughly.
• Roll and fill dough:
• Bring an 8- to 10-quart pot of salted water (see Tips, page 141) to a boil.
• Meanwhile, cover table with tablecloth, allowing cloth to hang over edges, and dust cloth lightly with flour (it isn't necessary to dust overhang). Lightly flour dough and roll out on cloth with rolling pin, as evenly as possible, into a 24- by 20-inch rectangle, so that a long side of rectangle is nearest you. Dough should be thin enough for you to see any pattern on tablecloth.
• Gently brush dough with 2 tablespoons butter and sprinkle with parsley and remaining 2 tablespoons bread crumbs. Divide cheese filling into 2 mounds on dough on left and right sides. Spread filling into 2 side-by-side 18- by 10-inch rectangles (with a short side of each cheese rectangle nearest you), leaving a 2-inch space between rectangles and a 1-inch border around outer edges.
• Holding tablecloth edge nearest you tautly, lift up cloth to make dough roll over on itself (away from you). Continue rolling, lifting tablecloth and pulling it toward you until dough is completely rolled (there is no need to use your hands to roll the dough). Cut into 2 rolls through 2-inch space between fillings.
• Carefully transfer 1 roll using a metal spatula onto center of 1 piece of cheesecloth. Fold cheesecloth over roll to cover top and wrap roll, then twist ends of cheesecloth and tie with kitchen string about 1 inch from each end. (Excess cloth on ends helps in lifting roll when boiled.) Wrap second roll in same manner.
• Cook rolls in boiling water (rolls will float), partially covered, 15 minutes. Transfer with a large slotted spoon or skimmer to a shallow baking pan and cool 3 minutes. Cut off kitchen string and unwrap cheesecloth, then transfer rolls to a platter with a metal spatula. Trim off and discard ends of rolls, then drizzle rolls with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Cut into 1 1/2-inch-thick slices.