Plum Dumplings
Plum dumplings are popular throughout Central and Eastern Europe, and their origin dates back to the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. They are usually prepared when plums are in season – late summer or early autumn.
When I was little, we always had plum trees in our garden, and one of my favorite meals were plum dumplings served with sugar and cinnamon (always prepared by my grandmother, of course). In the Savinja Valley we call them češpljevi knedlci, with knedlci derived from the German word Knödel, meaning dumpling.
My father swears by the Bosanka plum variety. The dumplings in this photo are made with exactly those plums – their flesh is so juicy that the moment you pierce the dumpling, the juice immediately runs out.
Recipe
Ingredients:
300 g farmer’s cheese
60 g melted butter
2 eggs
100 g semolina
100 g flour
12–16 plums
50 g butter
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
salt, sugar
Instructions:
Mix the farmer’s cheese with the melted butter until smooth.
Add the semolina, eggs, and flour, and mix well. The dough should be smooth and not stick to your hands. If necessary, add a little more flour, but be careful not to make the dough too firm.
Let it rest for about 30 minutes.
You can remove the pits from the plums if you prefer (my grandmother always left them in).
- Flatten about one tablespoon of dough and place a plum in the center. Add a teaspoon of sugar.
- Wrap the dough tightly around the plum, press the edges together well, and form a ball.
- Repeat the process (steps 5 and 6) until all the dough and plums are used up.
- In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add a pinch of salt. Cook the dumplings for about 12–15 minutes in gently simmering water – they should float to the surface toward the end. Stir them gently a few times while cooking to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Melt the butter in a pan. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring constantly, until they turn golden brown.
- Remove the dumplings from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer them to the pan with the breadcrumbs. Fry and turn them gently until they are evenly coated.
- Serve immediately, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon.