Plum Dumplings Macedonian Recipes

MACEDONIAN PLUM DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium-low heat, cook and stir the bread crumbs until golden brown and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Set the crumbs aside.
• Place potatoes in a pot of water over medium heat, and boil until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain the potatoes, and allow to cool for several minutes to dry out; then squeeze the potatoes through a potato ricer into a bowl. Place 1 tablespoon of butter into the potatoes, and allow to melt, then mix in the flour until thoroughly combined. Mix in egg and salt. Turn the mixture out onto a generously floured work surface, and knead until the dough is soft and no longer sticky, about 10 minutes.
• Divide the dough into quarters, and subdivide each quarter into fourths to make 16 portions. Roll each portion into a ball, and roll the ball out on a floured work surface until it forms a circle about 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Place a pitted plum into the center of the dough circle, and spoon a teaspoon of sugar into the plum. Roll and pinch the dough around the plum to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough to make 16 dumplings.
• Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil over medium heat, and drop the dumplings into the boiling water. Stir gently to loosen any dumplings that stick to the bottom. Allow the dumplings to rise to the top, then boil for 5 more minutes. Gently remove dumplings with a slotted spoon, and roll in the toasted bread crumbs to serve. Any remaining dough can be rolled into plain dumplings, boiled, and rolled in crumbs.

CROATIAN PLUM DUMPLINGS (KNEDLI OD SLJIVA)

Steps:

• Cook potato in skin until soft (like for potato salad). When ready peal the skin and mash potato on flat surface. Be careful it is very hot.
• Add butter (crush it a bit to speed melting), flour, semolina, nutmeg and salt. Make it into a dough, and when cools it a bit add two eggs. You will think now that you make a big mistake because it will turn very wet, but you have to be firm and continue to make dough. It is OK to add more flour.
• The right amount of flour will be clear to you after you make this several times, this is amount I usually put. It also depends on quality of potato; some are softer than others. When the dough is firm, but soft enough, make the dumplings.
• Cut a piece of dough and roll around cleaned and washed plum. The dough shouldn't be more than 1 cm thick. If you make it without plum stone, break the plum into half, remove the stone and put a sugar cube instead. After that, do as previously mention.
• At this point you can freeze the whole amount of dumplings, but do it on flat surface making sure they don't touch. After they freeze, you can put them in a bag.
• If you want to cook them right away, use large pot, fill with water up to 2/3 and add some oil. When water boils, put the dumplings into the water and cook until they start to float on the surface. You may use a toothpick to check if they are soft.
• In the meantime melt butter in a frying pan and fry some breadcrumbs. When removing dumplings from the pot put them into hot butter with breadcrumbs and fry them just a bit to reduce surplus of water.
• You may serve them as a desert, but also as a lunch, of course amount of dumplings will differ in both cases.
• When you open the dumplings, you may put some sugar over it and also some grounded cinnamon. Some people add sour cream over dumplings, but I don't like it that way.

HUNGARIAN PLUM DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Cook potatoes for dough:
• Cover potatoes with salted cold water (1 tablespoon salt for 2 quarts water) in a large saucepan and simmer until tender, about 40 minutes. Drain potatoes and, when cool enough to handle, peel. Force warm potatoes through ricer into a shallow baking pan and spread out to cool completely.
• Make crumb mixture while potatoes cook:
• Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until foam subsides, then cook bread crumbs and walnuts, stirring frequently, until crumbs are golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Transfer to a bowl, then stir in 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
• Make dough:
• Transfer cooled potatoes to a bowl and stir in flour, salt, softened butter, and yolks until a dough forms. Knead on a well-floured surface just until smooth, about 1 minute (dough will be soft). Cut dough in half and let stand, uncovered, 15 minutes. Roll out half of dough on floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 10-inch round (1/8 inch thick) and cut out 6 rounds with cutter, reserving scraps.
• Make filling and assemble dumplings:
• Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, then stir together with plums and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl.
• Place 1 dough round in center of your hand. Put 1 tablespoon filling in center of round, then fold round in half, forming a semicircle, and pinch edges to seal. Gently form into a ball and gently roll between your palms until smooth. Transfer dumpling to a wax-paper-lined tray. Repeat with remaining 5 dough rounds, then make more dumplings with remaining dough, rerolling scraps.
• Cook and coat dumplings:
• Cook dumplings in a pasta pot of boiling lightly salted water (1 tablespoon salt for 5 quarts water) and simmer, uncovered, until dough is firm to the touch, about 12 minutes. While dumplings cook, melt remaining 4 1/2 tablespoons butter in cleaned 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Gently transfer cooked dumplings with a slotted spoon to skillet, spooning butter over them to coat. Transfer dumplings to a platter and sprinkle with half of crumb mixture. Serve immediately, with remaining crumb mixture on the side.

PLUM DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in milk and egg just until blended. Divide into six portions. , On a lightly floured surface, pat each portion of dough into a 5-in. circle. Place a plum half on each circle. Gently bring up corners of dough to center; pinch edges to seal. , In a Dutch oven, bring water and butter to a boil. Carefully add dumplings. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a dumpling comes out clean. Serve warm with pan juices, melted butter and cinnamon-sugar.

PLUM DUMPLINGS (MACEDONIAN RECIPE)

Steps:

• Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium-low heat, cook and stir the bread crumbs until golden brown and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Set the crumbs aside.
• Place potatoes in a pot of water over medium heat, and boil until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain the potatoes, and allow to cool for several minutes to dry out; then squeeze the potatoes through a potato ricer into a bowl.
• Place 1 tablespoon of butter into the potatoes, and allow to melt, then mix in the flour until thoroughly combined. Mix in egg and salt. Turn the mixture out onto a generously floured work surface, and knead until the dough is soft and no longer sticky, about 10 minutes.
• Divide the dough into quarters, and subdivide each quarter into fourths to make 16 portions. Roll each portion into a ball, and roll the ball out on a floured work surface until it forms a circle about 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Place a pitted plum into the center of the dough circle, and spoon a teaspoon of sugar into the plum. Roll and pinch the dough around the plum to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough to make 16 dumplings.
• Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil over medium heat, and drop the dumplings into the boiling water. Stir gently to loosen any dumplings that stick to the bottom. Allow the dumplings to rise to the top, then boil for 5 more minutes.
• Gently remove dumplings with a slotted spoon, and roll in the toasted bread crumbs to serve.
• Any remaining dough can be rolled into plain dumplings, boiled, and rolled in crumbs.
• Note: Instead of spooning a teaspoon of sugar into each plum, it's easy to push a sugar cube into the plum.