Tyrolean spinach dumplings
Spinach dumplings are a classic dish in Tyrolean cuisine. It’s a dish that’s simple and relatively quick to prepare.
Spinach dumplings are ideal for freezing, making them perfect to keep in stock for quick, nutritious meals.
A culinary journey through the Alps
The history of spinach dumplings, known in German as “Spinatklöße”, is closely linked to rural traditions and the simple yet hearty cuisine of the Alpine regions.
Origins in peasant cuisine: The roots of spinach dumplings go back to a time when people in Alpine farmhouses still made a virtue of necessity. The ingredients were simple and based on what was available: stale bread, which under no circumstances was to be wasted, fresh spinach from the garden, a few eggs from the farm and some cheese.
Development of the recipe: Originally, dumplings were a way of using up leftover bread. Over time, they became a dish in their own right, prepared in countless variations. Spinach dumplings came about when creative cooks began incorporating vegetables into their dumplings. Spinach, with its rich, earthy flavour, proved to be the perfect complement to the rather neutral bread dumplings.
Ingredients for Tyrolean spinach dumplings
300 g bread for dumplings
250 ml milk
800 g spinach
30 g butter
2 eggs
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
Spices: salt, pepper, nutmeg
To serve: Parmesan, butter
Serves: 4
Preparation time: approx. 45 minutes
How to make spinach dumplings
Alongside spinach, dumpling bread forms the basis of the dumpling dough. You can buy this from a baker or in a supermarket. If you have some hard white bread at home, you can easily make the dumpling bread yourself.
Depending on your preference, you can use fresh or frozen spinach for spinach dumplings. Pureed or leaf spinach – it doesn’t matter. If you’re using fresh spinach, it should be blanched before use.
To make the dough, first pour milk over the dumpling bread. At the same time, gently fry the sliced onion and the chopped garlic clove in butter. Then add the butter, onion and garlic mixture, along with the eggs and spinach, to the bread soaked in milk. Mix the ingredients together to form a dough and knead thoroughly. Depending on the consistency of the dumpling mixture, add a little flour or milk to the dough. After allowing the mixture to rest briefly, the dumplings can be shaped.
Spinach dumplings can be cooked either in simmering salted water on the hob (15 minutes) or in a steamer (at 100°C for 12 minutes).
Traditionally, these dumplings are served with melted butter and grated Parmesan. Depending on the season, they go well with a fresh green salad with radishes.
Tip: If you find traditional spinach dumplings a bit too bland, you can dice some Gorgonzola (blue cheese) and mix it into the centre of each dumpling.
HOPE YOU ENJOY THEM!