Plum Knödel
Recipe from the book "The First Ukrainian Everyday Cookbook" (1-ша українська загально-практична кухня), 1929, by Olha Franko.
Plum Knödel is a dish of Austrian, Hungarian, and Czech cuisine. The name "Knödel" comes from the Latin nudel, meaning "knot."
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the influence of Bohemian cuisine on Austrian cooking became clearly apparent. At that time, many Bohemian cooks worked in Vienna, and through them a great number of recipes found their way into Austrian cuisine — among them, sweet plum Knödel. This was not a dish for the poor, as it was served with sugar and cinnamon, both of which were extremely expensive in the 18th century. It is known that Franz Ferdinand of Habsburg had a particular fondness for plum Knödel.
Over the years, fruit-filled Knödel became firmly established across European cuisine.
Marillenknödel (Austrian apricot Knödel) — the classic Austrian version made with apricots, served with toasted breadcrumbs and powdered sugar. In Slovakia, yeasted Knödel filled with blueberries are prepared — large, wonderfully fluffy, and served with whipped cream, butter, and sugar. In the Czech Republic, plum Knödel are enjoyed with ground poppy seeds and melted butter, while cottage cheese Knödel come filled with strawberries or apricots. In Poland, sweet potato-based Knödel with plums and cinnamon are enormously popular. Germknödel (giant Austrian sweet yeasted Knödel) — enormous sweet dumplings often served at ski resorts. They are made from soft yeasted dough, filled with jam, and served with poppy seeds and a butter or vanilla cream.
Makes 15 Knödel:
Ingredients
- 250g flour
- 20g fresh yeast
- 125ml milk
- 25g sugar
- 1 egg
- 25g melted butter
- a pinch of salt
- 15 plums
Preparation
- Dissolve the yeast in the milk with the sugar. Leave to rest for 15 minutes.
- Add the yeast mixture, egg, salt, and butter to the flour.
- Knead into a smooth dough.
- Roll out the dough and cut out circles of 10cm; place a pitted plum in the centre of each and seal shut.
- Leave the Knödel to rest on the worktop for 15 minutes.
- Cook in hot water, covered, until done.
- Drizzle the cooked Knödel with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
