Dumplings - general principles and methods of preparation
Dumplings - a very popular dish in Ukraine, representing a "pillow" of unleavened dough. Outwardly, they are very reminiscent of dumplings, but are prepared from steeper and denser dough. However, each nation has its own recipes for making dumplings and they are called differently by all. Varieties unites only one thing - this is the presence of eggs, flour, often milk (cream) and butter in their composition. Many for the aroma and specific taste in the bulk add spices, herbs, and some cuisines - chopped vegetables, cottage cheese, meat or sausages.
In most cases, dumplings are used as thickeners for soups, but boiled in water or broth, fried with onion and served as a separate dish, they have no less taste value. The main secret of their preparation is to add butter and milk. It is these ingredients that soften the dough, so that the dish turns out much juicier, tender and airy.
In order to prepare dumplings, it is necessary to make a soft dough, cut it into strips, roll out bundles of them about 1.5 cm wide and with a sharp knife divide the bundles into equal squares. Although many people prefer to cook dumplings the old fashioned way, splitting small pieces of dough from a large layer and twisting them into various shapes. After cooking, the dough “pads” are dipped in salted boiling liquid (or soup) and boiled for about ten minutes until they float up.
Dumplings - food preparation
The scheme for making dumplings is extremely simple. As a rule, those products that are almost always available are used: flour with a high content of gluten (fine grinding), chicken eggs, milk and butter (you can use soft creamy margarine, for example, “Generous Summer” instead).
Some recipes provide a much wider list of ingredients, so carefully study the recipe. So, are all the products complete? So we let them rest, cool after the refrigerator to room temperature, and set about preparing the dough - the basis for dumplings.
Dumplings - the best recipes
Recipe 1: Cheese Dumplings
Original cheese dumplings are prepared on the basis of Gouda and Brynza hard cheeses, however, if the first grade cannot be found, you can replace it with any other Dutch cheese. For a piquant taste, add a little ground nutmeg to the dough - literally on the tip of the knife. Such dumplings can be served as a separate dish, or added to various soups.
Ingredients:
- 100 gr. cheese "Gouda"
- 100 gr. feta cheese
- one egg
- flour
- one table. semolina spoon
- salt to taste
- nutmeg
- two melted tablespoons of oil
Cooking method:
On a finely grated three, both types of cheese. Mix. Add the egg, salt, nut, semolina, pour the melted butter. Knead the steep dough, roll the “bun” out of it and put it in the refrigerator, covering it with cling film, for thirty minutes. From the chilled dough, we roll sausages with a diameter of about 2 cm and cut them into even squares. The basis for a delicious and satisfying soup is ready. Cheese dumplings can also be boiled in water (broth) and consumed with fresh sour cream in a separate form.
Recipe 2: Apple Dumplings
Such flour "balls" go well with vegetable soups. Allowed their use in a separate form. As a sauce, you can serve sour cream, whipped in a blender with sweet fruits. By the way, if you add cottage cheese instead of grated apples to the dough, you will get no less tasty cottage cheese dumplings.
Ingredients:
- 100 gr. apples (without seeds)
- 100 gr. wheat flour
- four eggs
- 40 gr. milk
- 30 gr. Sahara
- a pinch of salt
Cooking method:
Fresh apples are peeled, seeds, rub the pulp on a grater. The resulting slurry is mixed with warmed milk. Separately, whip the whites until foam and carefully mix them with yolks, sugar (preferably fine) and salt. We combine apples and egg mass, add flour and knead soft dough. We form dumplings as described above and boil until cooked or add to vegetable soup (10 minutes before it is cooked).
Recipe 3: Stuffed dumplings "Poltava"
We will stuff the flour products with minced meat. It’s best to take pork. The dish is served only in a separate form with gravy. Stuffed dumplings are boiled by traditional cooking in a pan or steamed.
Ingredients:
- 600 gr. flour
- one or two eggs
- 350 ml of kefir
- at the tip of the knife soda
- salt to taste
- for greasing products - butter
- 500 gr. pork or minced meat
- two onions
Cooking method:
Add the kefir, egg, soda and salt to the sifted flour. Knead the dough until elastic. We give him a "rest" for about an hour. In a pan, fry two onions, finely chopped. After it is fried, add minced meat (you can make it yourself or purchase it in the store ready), fry until half-cooked meat, add seasoning for meat, pepper, slightly add salt. Remove the minced meat from the stove and cool.
Melt butter (for greasing finished products). Next, from the dough we form small cakes, in the center of which we put a little mincemeat. We carefully pinch the "bag". So do with all products. Formed dumplings boil in salted water or steamed. A hearty, tasty lunch is ready. Bon appetit to all!
Recipe 4: Ukrainian Dumplings (from wheat bread)
Bread for dumplings is only fresh and soft. The crust is not put in the dish, so we cut it from the pulp.
Ingredients:
- bread pulp 200 gr.
- two eggs
- 40 gr. fine sugar
- 50 gr. butter
- 150 gr. milk
- salt to taste
- flour
Cooking method:
Knead the crumb with your hands with eggs, milk, sugar, salt and melted butter. Knead until smooth. We clean in a warm place for 30-50 minutes. Then we form dumplings from the base, roll them abundantly in flour and boil them in salted water (broth). Such dumplings are very tasty to eat with Ukrainian borsch.
Dumplings - useful tips from experienced chefs
- When making soup with dumplings, the items go down a few minutes before the dishes are ready, because they very quickly reach their readiness;
- During the heat treatment, dumplings increase in volume by two, three times, therefore they should not be made too large;
- Dumplings, as a separate dish, go well with sour cream or refried onions. Serve them only hot. Some people like to eat a dish with cracklings - pieces of fried lard.
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