Kniddelen are a true Luxembourgish classic. These humble boiled flour dumplings are traditionally combined with smoked bacon and make for a really comforting meal. You can either serve them pan-fried with a side of apple compote for a nice contrast, or add a dash of cream for a more saucy version. Serve with a green side salad to balance the richness of this dish.
This recipe was filmed as part of my ‘Tastes of Luxembourg’ series for RTL Today. You can watch it here on RTL Play.
375g flour
150g quark*
3 eggs
190ml milk
½ tsp salt
250g smoked dry-cured bacon
200ml cream
Pepper
Green salad, to serve
Serves 4
Put the flour, quark, eggs, milk, salt and a bit of pepper into a large bowl and mix with an electric whisk until you get a smooth batter.
Fill a large saucepan with boiling water and add a generous pinch of salt. Dip a teaspoon into the water, then grab a portion of batter with the teaspoon, and dip it into the boiling water so the dumpling slides into the saucepan and sinks to the bottom. Repeat until the bottom of the saucepan is covered with dumplings.
Boil until the dumplings float to the surface – then leave them to cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the dumplings from the water with a slotted spoon and put into bow. Cover with a lid to keep warm.
Repeat this process until all the batter is used up.
Once all the Kniddelen are done, cut the bacon into ½ cm dice. Fry in a large frying pan over a medium heat, until the bacon has rendered its fat and is brown. This will take about 5 minutes.
Add the Kniddelen to the pan and fry for a couple of minutes, then add the cream and season with salt and pepper.
Divide the Kniddelen between 4 plates and serve with a green side salad.
*you will find quark in the supermarket labelled as fromage frais à la crème / wäisse Kéis mat Ram
