BEETROOT DUMPLINGS RECIPE
If you have ever been to South Tyrol on vacation, you have certainly tasted the CANEDERLI, delicious large bread dumplings served in broth or with butter and cheese.
Every family jealously guards its secret to preparing canederli with the right consistency, neither too soft nor too hard, with the right proportion between stale bread and other ingredients, typically: speck, onion, and chives.
Traditionally, you find CLASSIC white CANEDERLI, or GREEN SPINACH CANEDERLI, but perhaps not everyone knows that they can also be prepared with BEETS, which give the dish not only an excellent taste but also a cheerful purple color.
The BEETROOT CANEDERLI are an alternative to the traditional white or spinach canederli, for a first course that will surprise you for how easy and quick it is to prepare, genuine and healthy with a unique taste and color that even children like!
A version, therefore, slightly different from usual, for a recipe that is absolutely worth trying! Once cooked in the broth, you can decide if you want to enjoy them as is or alternatively season them with melted butter flavored with a few sage leaves or saffron threads for an additional contrast of color and flavor. If you like South Tyrolean recipes, also try:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 348.48 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 53.02 (g) of which sugars 5.76 (g)
- Proteins 15.35 (g)
- Fat 9.02 (g) of which saturated 4.94 (g)of which unsaturated 3.57 (g)
- Fibers 3.21 (g)
- Sodium 1,013.12 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 125 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 4.6 oz stale bread
- 1/3 cup milk
- 3.5 oz red beets, cooked, boiled
- 4.2 oz all-purpose flour
- 3.5 oz eggs (about 2)
- 1.4 oz breadcrumbs
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 1.4 oz grated Parmesan cheese
- to taste marjoram
- 3.2 cups vegetable broth
- butter
- A few leaves sage
Tools
- Bowl
- Immersion Blender
- Pot
- Pan
PROCEDURE
BEETROOT: Beetroots are available both with skin and pre-peeled in vacuum-packed bags. It doesn’t matter which one you buy, you just need to peel the one with the skin; otherwise, the process is identical, and in both cases, you don’t need to cook it before blending because it’s already precooked. You can replace Beets with an equal quantity of boiled carrots.
First, cut the bread into pieces and remove most of the crust, then place it in a bowl, add the milk, crumble the bread slightly with your fingers and let it soak. In the meantime, clean the beetroot if it still has the skin, then cut it into pieces, place it in the immersion blender cup, and blend. You should obtain a smooth and homogeneous puree.
Add the bread to the blended beetroot and mix with a spoon. At this point, also add grated cheese, whole eggs, flour, a pinch of salt, marjoram, and finally the breadcrumbs, stirring each time to incorporate them. Mix the dough with your hands to compact it. Now that the dough is ready, divide the mixture into pieces and create large balls of about 80/85 grams each with your hands. As you form the dumplings, lay them on a tray.
Now that the Beetroot Dumplings are ready, cook them in plenty of vegetable broth for about 10-12 minutes (depending on their size). In the meantime, melt a knob of butter in a pan and let it infuse with a few sage leaves or saffron threads. As soon as the Dumplings are ready, drain them from the broth and let them infuse for a couple of minutes in the pan with the butter. Distribute on plates and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese before serving.
STORAGE
The beetroot dumplings, once ready but still raw, can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or you can freeze them. Once cooked and seasoned, they last for a maximum of 24 hours.
NOTES AND TIPS
BEETROOT: Beetroots are available both with skin and pre-peeled in vacuum-packed bags. It doesn’t matter which one you buy, you just need to peel the one with the skin; otherwise, the process is identical, and in both cases, you don’t need to cook it before blending because it’s already precooked. You can replace Beets with an equal quantity of boiled carrots.
SEASONING: Whatever seasoning you choose, the dumplings should first be cooked in broth (usually vegetable). Then you can decide whether to enjoy them in their broth or season them with melted butter flavored with herbs like Sage.
BREAD: According to the original recipe, dumplings should be prepared with the typical Tyrolean bread called rosettes (kaisersemmel), which contain a lot of crumbs. Alternatively, you can use homemade bread loaves or Tuscan bread; it is better to avoid hard dough bread as it would dissolve in milk. Some use the crust as well, while others prefer to remove part of it, depending on personal taste. If you decide to keep the crust, make sure it is well softened and mixes well with the rest of the dough. If you don’t have dry bread but fresh, to achieve the right consistency, leave it out of the bread bag for a day so it dries.
FLOUR: The original South Tyrolean recipe for dumplings includes adding a bit of flour to the dough, the amount of which varies based on consistency.
SPECK: You can enrich the dough by adding to the Beetroot Dumplings dough some speck cut into pieces, previously sautéed in a pan with a bit of onion, bacon, or the “Lucanica” used in the province of Trento.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can people with high cholesterol eat beetroot?
Absolutely! Beetroots are one of the best natural products to reduce cholesterol, as they contain a high amount of fiber, which is beneficial to the diet.
What are the contraindications of red beetroot?
Due to the presence of high quantities of mineral salts and oxalates, it is not recommended for those suffering from kidney stones.
How many types of dumplings are there?
Dumplings, a typical dish of Trentino Alto Adige cuisine, come in many versions: the CLASSIC DUMPLINGS with Speck, the GREEN DUMPLINGS with Spinach, but also with mushrooms and even nettles.
How many dumplings per person?
The weight of a dumpling usually ranges between 80 and 90 grams, and the amount for an adult is on average three dumplings per person.
