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.

CROATIAN PLUM DUMPLINGS RECIPE (KNEDLE SA ŠLJIVAMA)

Steps:

• Peel and boil the potatoes until tender
• Mash and salt the potatoes, and allow to cool
• Once cool, add oil and whole egg, and the flour and knead
• Roll out to 1 cm thick
• Cut into squares - the size of the cubes will depend on the size of the plums. It needs to be big enough so, that it can wrap the plum
• Using lightly floured hands, take the square of dough and pat it flat in your hand. Place a plum in the center and bring the sides of dough up over plum
• Enclose the plum in the dough
• Moisten edges with water to seal - you now have your dumpling!
• Place the dumplings in boiling water, and cook for 20 minutes
• With a slotted spoon, collect the dumplings, and allow them to drain on kitchen paper
• Brown the bread crumbs in a little sunflower oil (or butter) and sprinkle over the dumplings
• Transfer the dumplings to a serving platter and layer with icing sugar

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.