AUSTRIAN BREAD DUMPLINGS WITH CHANTERELLE SAUCE
200 g dry white bread cubes
150 ml milk
3 stems flat parsley
1 egg
½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoons pepper
pinch nutmeg
1 onion
30+30 g butter
cubed bacon [optional]
600 g chanterelles
1 onion
50 g butter
50 ml dry white wine [optional]
200 ml heavy cream
150 ml water
1 tablespoon soup seasoning
1 tablespoon corn starch
salt
pepper
The recipe is an Austrian classic. Traditionally the dumplings were made to use up old bread that got too dry. To get the dumplings with chanterelle sauce is quite rare since they have a very short season and are hard to get.
Down below I describe two versions on how you can make the dumplings. The masters of dumpling making manage to make huge dumplings without them falling apart. The beginners can use the fool-proof way and wrap the dumplings in kitchen cloth. But just to be fair it’s also the way it was used to be made. The Austrian name ‘Serviettenknödel’ literally means napkin-dumplings. When napkins were still made out of fabric they were used to tightly wrap the dumplings and cook them in it.
_ finely dice onions and sauté [together with the bacon] in 30 g butter until lightly browned
_ heat milk [don’t let it boil] and pour over bread cubes
_ add onions, egg, finely chopped parsley, salt, pepper and nutmeg
_ combine well and let soak for 30 minutes
Version 1:
_ form 8-12 small balls [press them tight]
_ let sit for a few more minutes
_ bring water to a boil [with a pinch salt]
_ add dumplings
_ once it boils again reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes
_ remove from water and let drip down
Version 2:
_ wet a kitchen cloth
_ form the bread mixture to a 4-5 cm thick roll
_ wrap the kitchen cloth tightly around it and tie the ends with a string
_ bring water to a boil in a large pot [with a pinch salt]
_ add dumpling-cloth-sausage and bring to a boil
_ simmer for 10 minutes [no problem if this cooks a bit longer - the cloth keeps the dumplings from getting soggy]
_ remove from water and let drip down
_ unpack and cut into 1cm thick slices
_ melt 30g butter and toss dumplings/dumpling slices in it
Sauce:
_ wipe mushrooms clean with a damp kitchen towel and cut away rotten parts [never wash mushrooms - they get soaked with water and lose flavor]
_ cut into bit size slices
_ heat butter in a pan
_ chop onions and gently fry until they get soft
_ add mushrooms and cook for a few minutes [all mushrooms should touch the pan bottom]
_ pour in white wine and bring to a boil
_ reduce heat and add heavy cream, water and soup seasoning
_ simmer for a few minutes
_ add corn starch and bring to a boil
_ season with salt and pepper
_ serve in a deep dish with a dumpling in the center and sprinkled with chopped parsley
SERVIETTENKNÖDEL / SEMMELKNÖDEL MIT EIERSCHWAMMERLSAUCE
200 g trockene Weißbrotwürfel
150 ml Milch
3 Stiele glatte Petersilie
1 Ei
½ Teelöffel Salz
½ Teelöffel Pfeffer
Prise Muskatnuss
1 Zwiebel
30+30 g Butter
Speckwürfel [optional]
600 g Pfifferlinge/
Eierschwammerl
1 Zwiebel
50 g Butter
50 ml trockener Weißwein [optional]
200 ml Schlagsahne
150 ml Wasser
1 Esslöffel Suppenwürze
1 Esslöffel Maisstärke
Salz
Pfeffer