If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, it's probably fair to say a dumpling a day keeps depression at bay. Beyond providing sustenance, their sole purpose in life seems to be to give the tummy a big hug -- comfort food extraordinaire. Eastern Europeans don't have the corner on dumplings, but it comes pretty close. There are Jewish kreplach and knishes, Russian piroshki, Ukrainian vareniki, Lithuanian koldunai, and Polish pierogi, to name a few. Jump on the carbohydrate bandwagon with these dumpling recipes.
1. Hungarian Plum Dumplings Recipe - Szilvas Gomboc
© Flickr by Maggiehc
Hungarian plum dumplings can be eaten as dessert, a meatless main dish or side dish. Like Polish, Croatian and Romanian plum dumplings, the dough is made with mashed potatoes. This dough, however, is rolled with a pin, rather than forming the dumplings by hand.
2. Croatian Plum Dumplings Recipe - Knedle s Sljivama
© 2009 Barbara Rolek licensed to About.com, Inc.
Croatian plum dumplings are made with a mashed potato dough and can be eaten as a dessert when sprinkled with sugar, as a meatless main course or as a starch accompanying a meat dish. Plum dumplings are common throughout Eastern Europe among Poles, Hungarians, Romanians and wherever plums are plentiful. The small, Italian prune plum works best.
3. Bohemian-Czech Bread Dumplings Recipe - Houskove Knedliky
© Flickr by Danielspils
Bohemian-Czech bread dumplings are steamed and just made for soaking up lots of gravy. They are typically served with roast pork with sauerkraut, roast goose and duck, chicken paprikash, roast beef and dill sauce, and more. This recipe calls for bacon and onion in the dough, but some versions are just plain.
4. Polish Steamed Yeast Dumplings Recipe - Kluski Na Parze
© 2009 Barbara Rolek licensed to About.com, Inc.
Not every Pole is familiar with kluski na parze, literally "dumplings on steam." It was a treat my busia Durski made when the weather turned cooler. She learned the technique from a Polish landowner in Denmark whose farm she worked with my dziadzia Durski before they came to the United States. Busia beat the dough by hand until it blistered, as did my mother, but I use a stand mixer. These kluski can be served with meat and gravy or sauteed in butter and sprinkled with sugar.
5. Lithuanian Meat Zeppelin Dumplings Recipe - Cepelinai
© 2009 Barbara Rolek licensed to About.com, Inc.
Lithuanian Potato-Meat Dumplings are known as zeppelins because of their shape. These are hearty affairs that take some time to make but are well worth the effort. There are also potato-cheese cepelinai (see below).
6. Lithuanian Potato-Cheese Zeppelin Dumplings Recipe - Varskes Cepelinai
© 2009 Barbara Rolek licensed to About.com, Inc.
Lithuanian Potato-Cheese Dumplings are great for meatless or Lenten meals.
7. Polish Drop Potato Dumpling Recipe - Kartoflane Kluski
© 2009 Barbara Rolek licensed to About.com, Inc.
This recipe for Polish drop potato dumplings uses raw, grated potatoes instead of mashed potatoes as this potato finger dumpling recipe (see below) does. These dumplings couldn't be easier -- no rolling or cutting. The slack or loose dough is dropped into the water by spoonfuls and boiled until tender. And there are no eggs in the recipe!
8. Polish Potato Finger Dumplings Recipe - Kartoflane Kluski
© 2009 Barbara Rolek licensed to About.com, Inc.
Potato Finger Dumplings can be eaten in soup, as a side dish with butter, or as the main course when combined with caramelized onions and fried bacon or other smoked meats. Every Eastern European region has a variation of this dish.
9. Czech Potato Dumplings Recipe - Bramborove Knedliky ze Studenych Brambor
© 2009 Barbara Rolek licensed to About.com, Inc.
This recipe for Czech potato dumplings is made with cold, unseasoned mashed potatoes. There are varieties made with raw grated potatoes and some with hot mashed potatoes.
10. Ukrainian Blueberry Dumplings Recipe - Varenyky
© Flickr by Dubesor
Ukrainian filled dumplings that are boiled are known as varenyky. They are analogous to Polish pierogi. When Ukrainian filled dumplings are made with yeast and baked, they are known as pyrohy. The filling used here is blueberry, but any of the fillings for nalesniki, pierogi and uszka can be used.
