So are you trying, again, to figure out what to do with all that discard? Tired of bread, cakes, and sweet things? How about some sourdough dumplings that you can serve with a savory main dish? These are big, fat, eggy dumplings more similar to Hungarian or East European dumplings than the kind typically found in the United States. My husband loves them. The dumplings have a slight sourdough tang, but that tang will depend in part on the maturity of your starter and on how long you let your batter sit. I recommend cooking the dumplings in batches, so that you don't overcrowd your pot. If you do try to cook the dumplings all at once, you'll risk a boil-over and gummy dumplings. Been there, done that, so don't repeat the mistake, please! Otherwise, making the dumplings is easy. You mix the batter, let it sit a bit, and drop the batter in gently boiling water. These are rough, free-form dumplings, so no rolling or cutting is required. How do you serve them? The dumplings are great with any kind of gravy--paprika, mushroom, beef, etc.. We especially like them with paprika chicken (search the blog for the recipe) and pork. Stay tuned for a mustard pork chops with apple-onion sauce recipe! The sauce is fantastic with the dumplings. Of course, if you're a purist, you could just saute the boiled dumplings in a little butter and sprinkle on some parsley.
Sourdough Dumplings -- Serves 4
4 eggs
2 tablespoons of plain yogurt
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of starter
1 1/4 of all-purpose flour
In a large bowl combine the eggs, yogurt, salt, and starter and beat them well until everything is incorporated and smooth. Add the flour gradually, beating it in well. You should have a stretchy-almost pourable mixture, a little stiffer than pancake batter but with a stretch to it. If you're starter was loose rather than stiff, you may want to add a little more flour, but don't go overboard. Let the batter sit for at least 30 minutes. When you're ready to cook the dumplings, bring a large pot of water to a boil. You can salt the water, if you want, but I don't as I'm trying to limit our sodium (but, yes, the dumplings will taste better if you salt the water a little). Stir the batter and, using a tablespoon, scoop up some batter and drop/push it with another spoon into the boiling water. Repeat the process with about half of the batter, then let the dumplings cook, turning down the water to a gentle boil, for about 10 minutes. The dumplings will SWELL. So don't be surprised. With a slotted spoon, scoop the dumplings out into a bowl and cook the remainder of the batter in the same fashion. Sprinkle the dumplings with parsley or other herbs (dill is good) and serve them with gravy or pan fry the dumplings with a little butter until they're lightly browned.
