Kniddelen: the classic recipe!

Traditional Luxembourg restaurant Um Dierfgen shares its recipe for Kniddelen… we're already licking our lips!

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Luxembourg Kniddelen are a kind of dumpling made from very simple ingredients: flour, milk, eggs and salt. You can add soft cheese or a dash of sparkling water to make the dough a little lighter.

The Kniddelen are shaped using a tablespoon and poached in boiling water.

They're light (unusually so given their wheat flour base), tasty, and you can easily adjust the seasoning and flavouring to suit yourself. At Um Dierfgen, we like to make our Kniddelen "mat Speck", which means, "with bacon", but the possibilities are endless!

Kniddelen are also the perfect accompaniment to meat dishes, and especially game.

RECIPE:

Ingredients for 2–4 servings

• 500g flour
• 4 eggs
• approximately 300ml milk
• a pinch of salt
• 100–150g fresh smoked bacon
• single cream
• parsley, chives

METHOD

1. Sift the flour into a large bowl, crack the eggs into the middle with the salt and add as much milk as necessary to achieve a smooth, even batter, stirring all the time. Allow to rest for half an hour.

2. Bring water and a sprinkling of salt to the boil in a large saucepan. Using a tablespoon (dipped in hot water each time), scoop up a spoonful of the batter and slide it into the boiling water using a second tablespoon. The dumpling will immediately cook on the outside and stay soft in the middle. Repeat until all the mixture has been used.

3. When the Kniddelen bob to the surface, lift them out with a slotted spoon and place in a dish.

4. Meanwhile, cook the bacon until crispy. Add the cream and leave to simmer.

5. Pour the bacon sauce over the Kniddelen and garnish with parsley and chives to taste.

Enjoy.

Bon appétit!