Kniddelen Easy to make, delicious to eat
Luxembourgers have mastered the art to make a tasty dish for all seasons out of simple ingredients. Kniddelen, flour dumplings, are such a dish that is quickly whipped up using ingredients found in every kitchen, yet brings a smile to every hungry person at the table. The recipe on this page was originally written down by Ketty Thull, perhaps Luxembourg’s most famous cook, whose books are still a popular gift.
A taste of Luxembourg
These dumplings are traditionally associated with the colder seasons, and are a treat after a long winter walk, or when you need some comfort food through the dark days. The ingredients – flour, eggs, milk, butter and bacon- mirror the farming past of Luxembourg, when they were the basis of subsistence for large parts of the population. Today, even though the country has hugely diversified, they remain a quote from the past, and for many a fan, they recall fond memories of being at their grandparents’ table. And most recipes will either have been taught from generation to generation, or come from one of Ketty Thull's iconics cookboks.
Ketty Thull, a graduate from the prestigious Paris Academy of Culinary Arts, is a reference for Luxembourgish cuisine. Indeed, most households in the country own at least one copy of her books, newly bought or handed down from generation to generation. Her anthology also used to be the standard gift to newlyweds, and sometimes still is although her first book was published in 1937.
If you would like to prepare this part of Luxembourg’s culinary heritage, here is our recipe, based on the famous Ketty Thull.
Ingredients:
- 500g flour Type 550
- 3-4 eggs
- 300g curd (+- 10% fat)
- 100ml cream
- 150ml milk
- Coarse salt
- 100g smoked lean bacon
- 100g smoked fat bacon
Method:
- Pour the flour into a basin.
- Mix the eggs, curd, cream and milk in a separate bowl.
- Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the egg mixture. Stir while gradually incorporating the flour.
- Heat salted water in a large pot until it is simmering.
- Take two tablespoons and dip them into the simmering water. Then use one spoon to scoop up some dough, and the other to scrape the dough into the water. When the Kniddelen start to swim on the surface, they are ready to be transferred into a heated bowl with a skimmer.
- Heat a frying pan to fry the bacon cubes until they are crispy.
- Add the bacon cubes and frying fat to the Kniddelen.
As garnish, you may add chopped parsley or chives, and a side of delicious apple compote. A dry white Moselle wine will do fine as accompaniment.
If there are leftovers, you can heat them in a frying pan at a later date.
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