These Bread-Based Dumplings From The Italian Alps Are The Ultimate “Stuck Inside” Winter Dinner

Italy is simply a spot I support coming backmost to again and again. I’ve been 5 times now, zigzagging crossed the state by car, from coastal towns to upland villages, and each travel leaves maine with a longer database of dishes I privation to recognize much deeply.

With the Winter Olympics putting Northern Italy successful the spotlight, I precocious recovered myself digging into the region’s cold-weather cooking. When penning a erstwhile article connected classical Northern Italian dishes, I came crossed canederli, hearty breadstuff dumplings from Trentino–Alto Adige. And the much I read, the much funny I became. So, if you consciousness the same, travel connected with me, and let’s instrumentality a person look astatine what they are and however to marque them.

Canederli are breadstuff dumplings made from day-old breadstuff softened with beverage oregon broth and bound unneurotic with egg. They’re enriched with savory additions similar speck, alpine cheeses, oregon chopped greens. The substance is shaped into compact balls and mildly simmered until tender. They’re astir intimately associated with Trentino–Alto Adige (South Tyrol), a mountainous portion successful bluish Italy that borders Austria. The area’s cuisine reflects centuries of taste exchange, and canederli are intimately related to Austrian and German Knödel.

In the Alps, winters are long, snowy, and historically isolating. Fresh nutrient was constricted for months astatine a time, truthful instead, families relied connected ingredients that could beryllium preserved oregon stored, similar cured pork (speck), aged cheeses, sturdy leafy greens, and, of course, bread. Stale breadstuff wasn’t discarded but rather, repurposed. Turning it into dumplings made it filling again, stretching elemental ingredients into thing substantial.

Canederli are dense, filling, and designed to lukewarm you up from the wrong out. Served steaming hot, they’re a cleanable crockery aft a freezing time outdoors, whether that’s tending livestock generations agone oregon skiing successful the Dolomites today.

Though the instauration remains bread, the spirit profiles displacement somewhat depending connected what’s folded successful (and which household is making it). In my ain research, I recovered determination are tons of variations, though the astir accepted mentation is canederli allo speck, studded with finely chopped smoked ham to adhd extent and saltiness. Cheese-forward dumplings are besides common, often made with section alpine cheeses that melt inside. Veggie options with greens similar spinach oregon chard are besides popular. Some modern variations adjacent see beet purée. However you whip ‘em up, the tone of the canederli stays the same: usage what’s available, physique spirit from elemental ingredients, and discarded nothing.

There are 2 classical ways to service canederli. The archetypal is successful broth (in brodo), a clear, well-seasoned beef oregon rootlike broth poured implicit the dumplings. This mentation is often served arsenic a archetypal course, though it’s filling capable to basal connected its ain arsenic a main during winter.

The 2nd mentation skips the broth entirely. Instead, the dumplings are tossed with melted butter, sometimes browned, and finished with grated food oregon caramelized onions. This benignant is richer and heartier, much successful enactment with a main dish. Both approaches are simple, practical, and meant to beryllium eaten hot.

Canederli correspond much than a recipe. In Northern Italy’s Alpine communities, they are a practice of place, tied to household kitchens, upland traditions, and a culinary individuality that sits astatine the crossroads of Italian, Austrian, and German influence. They besides embody a distinctly Alpine mentation of cucina povera, oregon peasant cooking, the creation of transforming humble ingredients into thing satisfying and delicious. Bread that mightiness different beryllium discarded becomes the instauration of a meal. A tiny magnitude of cured nutrient flavors an full dish. And thing is wasted.

I emotion the equilibrium of thrift, comfort, and taste individuality and tin spot wherefore canederli are precisely the benignant of happening you privation waiting for you astatine the extremity of a acold day.

Now, let’s effort making them! I followed a traditional South Tyrolean–style recipe from Hank Shaw’s blog Honest-Food, which draws connected some Italian and Austrian dumpling traditions. His mentation keeps things classic, an ode to the Alpine pantry. Here’s however they came unneurotic successful my kitchen.

STEP 1: Place the torn breadstuff successful a vessel and determination the beverage implicit it. Press it down mildly truthful it absorbs the liquid evenly. Let it beryllium portion you hole everything else. The breadstuff should consciousness softened but not soupy.

STEP 2: Warm the lipid successful a skillet implicit mean heat. Add the chopped bulb and navigator until brushed and translucent. A small aureate colour is fine, but you’re not looking for heavy browning. Transfer to a ample mixing vessel and fto it chill slightly.

STEP 3: Squeeze immoderate excess liquid from the soaked breadstuff and adhd it to the vessel with the onions. Quick note: To squeeze, scoop up a fistful astatine a clip and mildly property it betwixt your palms implicit the bowl, conscionable pressing firmly capable truthful excess liquid drips backmost into the bowl.

STEP 4: Add the minced speck (or different cured meat), parsley, Parmigiano, nutmeg, achromatic pepper, and salt. Mix well. Stir successful 1 beaten ovum and harvester thoroughly. The substance should statesman to travel unneurotic similar a brushed dough. If it feels adust oregon crumbly, adhd the 2nd egg. If it feels excessively bedewed to shape, sprinkle successful flour 1 tablespoonful astatine a clip until it holds together.

STEP 5: Bring a ample cookware of well-salted h2o to a gentle simmer. As Hank says, “with capable brackish to marque it sensation similar the sea.” Form the substance into compact balls, astir the size of a walnut successful its shell. Slightly larger is fine. From what I read, the cardinal is to support the size accordant truthful they navigator evenly.

STEP 6: Lower the dumplings into the simmering liquid. Avoid a rolling boil, arsenic excessively overmuch bubbling tin origin your beauteous dumplings to interruption apart. They’re acceptable soon aft they emergence to the surface, usually wrong 1 to 2 minutes of floating. You tin trial 1 by cutting it successful half; the exterior should consciousness steadfast but springy.

STEP 7: Serve the canederli 1 of 2 classical ways: ladled into lukewarm broth with caller herbs scattered implicit the top, oregon drained and drizzled with melted butter, past finished with grated Parm.

Additional Notes And Tips

If you’d similar to see breadstuff crusts, finely chop them archetypal oregon adust and grind them into crumbs earlier mixing. Larger crust pieces won’t afloat soften. Keep successful caput that the cardinal is balance: excessively overmuch flour makes them dense; excessively small and they’ll autumn apart. A gentle simmer, ne'er a boil, besides keeps the dumplings intact.

All successful all, I’m genuinely excited to adhd canederli to my increasing rotation of beloved Italian dishes. I’ve ne'er been overmuch of a dumpling maker, but erstwhile you bash it, you recognize however amazingly casual they are. I emotion however rustic the method is, and I really emotion the thought of transforming simple, leftover breadstuff into thing truthful comforting. I’m excited to tweak the herbs, swap successful antithetic cheeses, fold successful greens, oregon set the size depending connected however I privation to service them. I’m tempted to marque them smaller adjacent clip and service successful tiny bowls arsenic an appetizer, particularly during wintertime gatherings erstwhile a lukewarm wound feels other cozy.

Have you made canederli before? I’d emotion to perceive however yours turned retired and what twists you added!