Kaspressknödel (Tyrolean Cheese Dumplings)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large mixing bowl
• •Wide frying pan or skillet
• •Clean tea towel for squeezing bread
• •Ladle for serving broth

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the bread

   Put the bread cubes in a large bowl and pour over the warm milk. Toss them gently so every piece gets some. Cover with a tea towel and leave for fifteen to twenty minutes. The bread should be soft and damp throughout, yielding when you press it, but not swimming. If you squeeze a handful, it should hold together without milk running out. If it's too wet, press the bread gently in a clean tea towel to wring out the excess. This matters. Too much moisture and the dumplings will fall apart in the pan.

   The bread must be properly stale, at least a day old, ideally two. Fresh bread absorbs too quickly and turns to paste. Stale bread holds its shape and gives the dumplings the texture they need: soft inside, with enough structure to fry.
2. 2

   Soften the onion

   While the bread soaks, melt the butter in a small pan over a gentle heat. Add the diced onion and a pinch of salt. Cook slowly, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft, translucent, and sweet. Five to seven minutes, no more. You don't want any colour. The onion should melt into the dumpling mixture, not announce itself. Take the pan off the heat and let it cool for a few minutes.

3. 3

   Build the mixture

   Add the grated Bergkäse, the softened onion (butter and all), the beaten eggs, the chives, and the parsley to the soaked bread. Season with salt, pepper, and a grating of nutmeg. Nutmeg is quiet here, just enough to make you wonder what that warmth is. Mix everything with your hands. You want it well combined but not overworked. The mixture should hold together when you squeeze a handful into a ball. If it feels too loose and sticky, work in a tablespoon of flour, then another if needed. If it feels too dry and crumbly, add a splash more milk. Trust your hands. They know.

   Grate the cheese coarsely. You want visible pockets of cheese that melt into little rivers when the dumplings hit the hot pan, not a smooth, uniform paste. The contrast between the soft bread and the melted cheese is what makes these worth eating.
4. 4

   Shape the dumplings

   Wet your hands lightly. Take a generous handful of the mixture, about the size of a tennis ball, and roll it between your palms. Then press it flat into a patty, roughly eight centimetres across and about two centimetres thick. Not too thin or they'll crisp through entirely and lose the soft centre. Not too thick or the middle won't cook. Set each one on a floured board or plate. You should get about eight. They won't be uniform. That's fine. These are Gasthaus dumplings, not restaurant food.

5. 5

   Fry until golden

   Heat a generous film of Butterschmalz or oil in a wide frying pan over a medium heat. When it shimmers but before it smokes, lay in the dumplings, leaving space between them. Don't crowd the pan. Fry for three to four minutes on the first side, resisting the urge to move them. When the edges go golden and the underside is properly crisp, flip them carefully. Another three to four minutes on the second side. They should be deep golden and firm to the touch, with that particular smell of toasted bread and melting cheese that makes the kitchen feel like somewhere you want to be. Drain on kitchen paper for a moment.

   Butterschmalz (clarified butter) is traditional and best here. It fries clean at a higher temperature than whole butter and gives the crust a subtle richness. If you can't find it, make your own: melt butter gently, skim the foam, and pour off the clear golden fat, leaving the milk solids behind.
6. 6

   Serve in broth

   Bring your broth to a gentle simmer. It should be the best you can manage, clear and well seasoned, because it has nowhere to hide. Ladle it into warm, wide bowls, then set two dumplings into each. Scatter snipped chives over the top. Serve straight away while the broth is hot and the dumplings are still crisp at the edges. Eat with a spoon and the quiet satisfaction of knowing you turned stale bread into something worth sitting down for.

   If you'd rather skip the broth, serve the dumplings alongside a sharp green salad dressed with cider vinegar and a good oil. Both ways are right. The broth version is what you want on a cold evening. The salad version suits a lighter meal in warmer weather.

Chef Tips

• •The cheese is everything. Bergkäse, Austrian mountain cheese, has a nutty, firm character that stands up to frying without turning rubbery. A good cheese shop should be able to find it for you. If not, Gruyère or Comté will serve, though they lack the particular Alpine depth. Avoid anything pre-grated or too mild. The cheese needs to hold its own against the bread.
• •Day-old Semmeln are the proper choice. These are the pale, scored Austrian bread rolls with a light, open crumb that soaks up milk beautifully and holds together when fried. If you can't find them, any decent white bread a day or two past its best will do. Sourdough is too assertive. Sliced sandwich bread is too soft. You want something with a crust that's gone slightly chewy and a crumb that's firmed up.
• •Don't serve the dumplings in the broth too early. They're at their best when they've just come out of the pan, crisp-edged and hot. The broth softens them over time, which isn't a disaster, but the contrast between crisp crust and clear broth is the whole point of the dish. Ladle the broth, add the dumplings, and bring the bowls to the table straight away.
• •If you're making these for someone who doesn't eat meat, use a good vegetable broth, well seasoned, with proper depth. A weak broth lets everything down. The dumplings themselves are already vegetarian, so the broth is the only thing to think about.

Advance Preparation

• •The dumpling mixture can be made several hours ahead and refrigerated, covered. In fact, a rest in the fridge firms the mixture and makes shaping easier. Form the patties just before frying.
• •Shaped, uncooked dumplings can sit on a floured board in the fridge for up to a day. Fry them straight from cold, adding a minute to each side.
• •Fried dumplings freeze well. Lay them on a tray until solid, then transfer to a bag. Reheat from frozen by simmering gently in broth for five minutes until heated through. They won't be quite as crisp, but the broth makes up for it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 465g)