Plum Dumplings Macedonian Recipes

PLUM DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• To pit the plums, slice them almost in half, open, and remove pit. Place about 1/3 teaspoon of sugar in the hollow of each plum; close the plum, and place in a bowl. Set aside.
• Place potatoes in a large pot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender. Drain. When cool enough to handle, mash potatoes with a fork or potato masher. You will need 1 cup of mashed potatoes. Set aside, and keep warm.
• To make the dough, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together into a pile on a breadboard. Make a well in the center; add 1 cup mashed potatoes, egg yolks, and shortening into the well, and work in until the dough is pliable and smooth.
• When dough is thoroughly kneaded, roll it out onto a floured board to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Cut into roughly 4-inch rounds with a biscuit cutter. Holding one piece of dough in your hand, place a whole pitted plum in the center. Place another piece of dough on top, and press to seal the edges of the dough together. Make sure there are no leaks, or the plum will come out during cooking.
• To cook, bring a deep pot of salted water to boil. Place dumplings in water, and boil gently for about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, to make the sauce, melt butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar. (If you like, stir in some of the juice that collects in the bowl of pitted plums.) Stir in a small amount of bread crumbs to slightly thicken the sauce.
• When dumplings are done, remove them from boiling water, and place them in the frying pan, and turn to coat the dumplings. Serve hot with extra sauce poured over them.

POTATO PLUM DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Scrub potatoes, and place them into a large pot with enough water to cover. bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 40 minutes. Drain, and cool. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel, and press through a ricer into a large bowl. Set aside to cool. This part of the process can be done as much as one day in advance.
• In a large bowl, mix together the prepared potatoes, salt, egg, and 1 tablespoon of butter until well blended. Gradually stir in the farina, and then the flour. If dough is still wet, more flour can be mixed in. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead until smooth, about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Split open each plum where it cracks, and remove the pit. Replace each pit with a sugar cube, and close.
• On a floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into twelve 3 inch squares. Place one plum into each square, and bring the corners around to the top. Pinch together all of the seams to seal.
• Bring a large pot of water to a slow boil. Place about 4 dumplings into the water at a time. Once they float to the surface, continue to cook them for about 5 more minutes. Transfer cooked dumplings to a covered bowl, and keep warm.
• Melt the remaining 1/2 cup of butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Stir in bread crumbs, and 1/4 cup of sugar. Continue to cook and stir until browned. Remove the bread crumbs to a plate, and roll warm dumplings in the mixture until entirely coated. To serve, place a dumpling or two on a plate, sprinkle with a little sugar and a little extra melted butter, if desired.

MACEDONIAN PLUM DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium-low heat, cook and stir the bread crumbs until golden brown and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Set the crumbs aside.
• Place potatoes in a pot of water over medium heat, and boil until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain the potatoes, and allow to cool for several minutes to dry out; then squeeze the potatoes through a potato ricer into a bowl. Place 1 tablespoon of butter into the potatoes, and allow to melt, then mix in the flour until thoroughly combined. Mix in egg and salt. Turn the mixture out onto a generously floured work surface, and knead until the dough is soft and no longer sticky, about 10 minutes.
• Divide the dough into quarters, and subdivide each quarter into fourths to make 16 portions. Roll each portion into a ball, and roll the ball out on a floured work surface until it forms a circle about 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Place a pitted plum into the center of the dough circle, and spoon a teaspoon of sugar into the plum. Roll and pinch the dough around the plum to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough to make 16 dumplings.
• Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil over medium heat, and drop the dumplings into the boiling water. Stir gently to loosen any dumplings that stick to the bottom. Allow the dumplings to rise to the top, then boil for 5 more minutes. Gently remove dumplings with a slotted spoon, and roll in the toasted bread crumbs to serve. Any remaining dough can be rolled into plain dumplings, boiled, and rolled in crumbs.