The "Knödel", german bread dumplings

When at home the basket for leftover bread has become too full, from Trieste to Prague (and also very well by now) the first solution that comes to mind after the breadcrumbs, called dumplings: dumplings.
They come in all types, size and taste; much also depends on what else is in the house in addition to the dry bread!

What is described here is a basic preparation, with minimal or almost of possible ingredients. To each, according to the tastes and destination of the dumplings, the addition or absence of other components.

Ingredients:

PREPARATION:

Cut the bread into small cubes, sprinkle it with the milk without soaking it (I personally start by adding a small quantity of milk and then mixing with the hands - as needed, then add all or less the remaining milk). Keep it half an hour aside to rest, preferably in a cool place.

Squeeze the bread to remove excess moisture and gradually add the eggs, salt and pepper, nutmeg, onion, chopped finely and previously browned in butter, parsley and flour; as described above for milk: it may not serve all the flour, adjust as needed.

Wanting to enrich the flavor, add the bacon, cut into very fine small cubes.

Mix everything with your hands and, if the dough is really too moist, adjust the flour or even breadcrumbs.
Form a ball and let rest in a cool another thirty minutes.

Form, with moistened hands, into balls the size of a large plum (v. Note).
Whether they were very sticky, dry them in the newly composed flour.

At this point, immerse one at a time, with the help of a skimmer, all the dumplings in broth brought to a boil and kept alive enough to just continue to simmer.

When the dumplings rise up, drain them with a skimmer and place them on a serving dish or directly in the individual dishes.

These basic dumplings are an excellent side dish for meat or vegetables with plenty of sauce.
Generally they can be an excellent alternative to many dishes in which it is planned to accompany the polenta.

ADVICES AND NOTES:

•  Recipe, text only: to print or download.
• The chives It can be used as a substitute for the browned onion in the butter, if someone does not like too much onion.
• Broth: Normally the dumplings are cooked in broth but there are no impediments to the use of a good vegetable stock if they are provided as an accompaniment to a range of vegetables or soup without meat.
• Milk: The indicated amount is very theoretical: depending on the quality of bread and by its degree of humidity can vary.
  Better to add in small quantities and test therefore consistent way (after a short period of rest and bedding).
• these dumplingsIf prepared no bigger than a ping pong ball, and with the addition of bacon, can be served in broth as soup, as they do in Trentino.
• An excellent alternative are the Leberknödel, as big as cherries, prepared by browning the onion Also the veal liver. These are a must serve in a good meat broth, with a further addition of chopped chives late in the broth.
• The dumplings can also be prepared on the size of tennis balls, or even larger, serving them then cut into slices; eventually also passed on the grid after being anointed with a thin layer of butter.
• The advanced dumplings (or prepared in the specific case) can be frozen in a tray and then stored in the freezer for future use: just immerse them, still frozen, in boiling broth for about ten minutes.
  I, personally, I always have a couple of bags in my magic freezer for emergencies! 
• A tip: the first time as they prepare the dumplings, it may happen that tend to fall apart a bit '.
  Make the test by forming only one and then dipping it in the broth and, if necessary, adjust the dough to flour.
• On this dish, I learned from my grandmother, fifty years ago, really I like the comments and variants:
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• related recipes: Knedlík - Bohemian dumplings, Traditional cuisine: dumplings, The dumplings in Bohemia, Dampfnudel mit Vanillesosse sweet dumplings with vanilla sauce.