Cheese Dumplings with Stelvio Cheese

The undisputed national dish of South Tyrol is probably the bread dumpling. However, very few people know the deal with the South Tyrolean dumpling and a chapel in Eppan. Frescoes dating back to the beginning of the 13th century in the castle chapel of Hocheppan, depict Maria in her puerperal bed with a maid next to her at the fireplace cooking dumplings. The figure that has gone down in history as the "dumpling eater" is holding one of these famous Tyrolean dumplings on a skewer and tasting it but the ingredients that were used to make these dumplings are still unknown. Nowadays, South Tyrolean cuisine offers a whole range of variations with an array of ingredients. One of these is the Stelvio cheese dumpling.

 

Ingredients:

Dumpling dough

• 150 g dumpling bread
• 2 eggs
• 100 ml milk
• 30 g onion
• 20 g butter
• salt
• pepper
• 2 tbsp chives

And also

• 150 g Stelvio cheese
• 20 g grated parmesan
• 30 g browned butter
• 2 tbsp chives

Preparation time: 45 minutes

Preparation:

1. Mix the milk and the dumpling bread and set aside to absorb. Sauté the finely chopped onion in the butter until golden brown, add to the dumpling bread along with the eggs, chives, salt and pepper and knead thoroughly.
2. Cut the Stelvio cheese into 4 cm long pieces. With wet hands, wrap the cheese in the mixture, pressing it into a quenelle-shaped dumpling. Cook in abundant salted boiling water for approx. 15 minutes.
3. Remove the dumplings from the water, drain briefly and arrange on plate with parmesan, brown butter and chives.

Wine recommendation:

“Nama” Chardonnay Alto Adige DOC 2019 Cantina Nals Margreid | South Tyrol

Stelvio Cheese:

In 2007, " Stelvio" was credited with protected designation of origin. Each day, fresh milk is collected from 350 South Tyrolean mountain farms for use in cheese production.

© Astrid Kircher