Austria

[Jaymes]

I was in Innsbruck last summer. There were ski chalet/restaurants on top of each of the two peaks on either side of the city. We ate at both of these, but one of them (small, cafeteria-style) had the best knödles. I sampled two kinds - one was meat, the other vegetable. They were about the size of a tennis ball, served in a soupy liquid.

Anyone know how I might be able to make these delectable things??? I've looked for recipes, and have found several - too many, actually - because I'd rather not cook my way through a hundred different kinds of knödles to get to something similar.

Help? Danke.

[KatieLoeb]

Anyone know how I might be able to make these delectable things??? I've looked for recipes, and have found several - too many, actually - because I'd rather not cook my way through a hundred different kinds of knödles to get to something similar.

Jaymes:

My ex-hubby is Austrian. I have a few good native cookbooks at home. I'll check them out for you and see if I can find anything that sounds like what you're looking for.

The most common Knoedels I always had there were basically how they'd use up stale bread. They were large (often leaden) things about the size of a baseball and were always on the side of any dish you ordered in a biesel, or a heuringen. Like giant unsweetened bread pudding balls.

There is also this special type of "flour" called "gries" which I think is used both for knoedels and for spaetzel dough. Might want to check into that.

If you have any familiarity with Yiddish, Knaidlach or matzoh balls are a variant of knoedel. I think most of Yiddish is Viennese Jewish dialect.

I'll let you know what I find.

[Jaymes]

Katie! Thanks! It's been so long.... I'd given up hope.

Now I am the very picture of hope renewed.

[KatieLoeb]

Now I am the very picture of hope renewed.

Gosh! My good deed for the day!

I just noticed the post today, or I'd have answered sooner. I'll definitely give a look-see when I get home tonight. Won't be able to get back to you before tomorrow though. My home 'puter is FUBAR right now.

[KatieLoeb]

Jaymes:

This should keep you busy for a little while at least. With the proper names of the dumplings it should be easier to weed through recipes.

Upper Austria is famous for its dumplings, a fact which is taken into account by the catering trade during what are known as "Dumpling Weeks", when every kind of dumpling imaginable can be ordered. One of the basic ingredients of the Upper Austrian dumplings is the potato.  Reiberknödel (grated dumplings) are made from roughly equal quantities of grated raw potato and sieved boiled potatoes. Their name is derived, not as popular etymology would have it, from "Räuberknödel" ("robbers' dumplings"), but from the grating process (reiben) involved in their preparation. Griessknödel (semolina dumplings) can be found in a variety of forms, and the same applies to Mehlknödel (flour dumplings) and Brotknödel (bread dumplings). Classic flour dumplings consist entirely of boiled potatoes, flour and salt. Depending on what one chooses to add to the basic recipe as a filling, flour dumplings can be transformed into: Speckknödel (bacon dumplings), which are sometimes fried instead of boiled; Fleischknödel (meat dumplings); Grammelknödel (dumplings filled with crackling or greaves); Bratknödel (fried dumplings); Mondseer or "zusammengelegte" Knödel (Mondsee or "hotchpotch" dumplings with a filling of finely-chopped leftovers of beef or sausage), Innviertler "Durcheinanderknödel" (Innviertel "topsy-turvy" dumplings filled with bacon); Krautknödel (white cabbage dumplings), and many others besides. Whereas the classic potato dumpling is a side dish, all the others mentioned are served as main dishes with sauerkraut, a warm white cabbage salad, or some other kind of salad.

The Bread dumplings (Brotknoedel) were the common ones I mentioned before. The greis is SEMOLINA. Aha! There's a container of it in my kitchen cabinet and I swear I'd never have known that! My ex-hubby's Oma (Grandma) is an awesome cook. She made these fabulous Liver dumplings in a clear broth (Leberknoedelsuppe) that were just amazing. Here's a link to a recipe for that. I've already e-mailed the link to myself! Liver Dumpling Soup Recipe

I really miss Oma. She's probably the only thing I miss about Austria...

I'll report back with other recipes as I find them.