Kniddelen are a true Luxembourg classic. These humble boiled dumplings are traditionally eaten with bacon lardons and a side of apple compote. For this vegetarian version, I am adding chives to the batter and serving the cooked Kniddelen with a lovely pesto. Very easy to make and very yummy!
This recipe was created for Quattropole, in order to promote seasonal produce from the Greater Region’s cities Luxembourg, Metz, Saarbrücken and Trier.
For the Kniddelen:
375g flour
150g quark (40% fat content)*
3 eggs
25g chives
190ml milk
½ tsp salt
pepper
For the pesto:
40g pumpkin seeds
20g rocket
20g basil
30g parmesan, grated
1 small garlic clove, peeled + crushed
90ml olive oil
salt and pepper
parmesan, to serve
Serves 4 – Prep: 45 minutes
Put the flour, quark and eggs into a large bowl. Roughly chop the chives and put in a small blender with the milk. Whizz until the herbs are finely chopped and you get a green milk. Add the milk to the bowl with the salt and a bit of pepper, and stir to get a smooth batter.
Fill a large saucepan with boiling water and add a generous pinch of salt. Grab a portion of batter with a teaspoon, and dip it into the boiling water and slide the batter into the saucepan with a second spoon, so that it sinks to the bottom. Repeat with a bit more batter until the bottom of the saucepan is covered with dumplings.
Keep boiling until the dumplings float to the surface – then leave them to cook for another 2 minutes so that they are cooked all the way through. Remove the dumplings from the water with a slotted spoon and put into a bowl. Cover with a lid to keep the Kniddelen warm while repeating this process until all the batter is used up.
Put all the ingredients for the pesto into a small blender and whizz to a pesto. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
Stir the pesto through the finished Kniddelen, sprinkle with more parmesan and serve.
Tip: You can use other herbs in this recipe, why not try the Kniddel batter with parsley, basil or wild garlic.
