Canederli are a leftover-bread recipe, but the bread is not passive. It decides how much milk the bowl can take, how firmly the dumplings hold, and whether they stay round once they hit the broth.
We use the classic speck version here: stale white bread, milk, eggs, onion, herbs, and just enough flour to bind. Cook one test dumpling first. If it loosens at the edge, the batch can still be saved before dinner is floating in pieces.
Set servings and units first. You can change them anytime.
Put the bread cubes in a large bowl and pour over the warm milk. Toss once, cover, and rest 20 minutes, until the bread feels damp through the center but not soupy.
Melt the butter in a small skillet. Cook the onion and speck over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, until the onion softens and the speck releases some fat. Cool 5 minutes.
Add the onion mixture, eggs, flour, herbs, salt, and pepper to the bread. Mix by hand until the bread holds together when squeezed, leaving a few visible cubes for texture.
Shape one small test dumpling. Lower it into barely simmering broth and cook 5 minutes. If it frays or opens, add flour by the tablespoon to the remaining mixture and test again.
With damp hands, shape the mixture into 8 dumplings about 2 in wide. Keep them compact but not compressed hard.
Simmer the dumplings in the broth for 15 to 18 minutes, turning once, until they float and feel set through the center.
Serve in hot broth. For a dry version, lift the dumplings out, let them steam 2 minutes, and finish with melted butter and sage.
You made Canederli. Time to eat.
A new recipe in your inbox each month. No noise.
The mixture should feel wetter than meatballs and drier than stuffing. If it leaves milk in the bottom of the bowl, add a small handful of bread before adding more flour.
Six Italian regions. Nothing reformulated. Imported direct.
No comments yet. Be the first.