Canederli

Where This Goes Wrong

Properly stale bread, dry all the way through.

Test one dumpling before committing the batch.

A shiver, never a boil.

Cooking Canederli

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1. Pour the warm milk over the bread cubes and leave 20 minutes, turning once, until evenly damp.

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2. Fry the speck in the butter until its fat runs, add the onion and cook 8 minutes. Cool.

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3. Beat the eggs into the soaked bread, then add the speck mixture, flour, parsley, salt and nutmeg. Work it with your hands until it holds together.

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4. Shape one test dumpling and simmer it 12 minutes. If it disintegrates, work in more flour; if it is dense, add a splash of milk.

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5. Shape the rest into balls the size of a small apple with wet hands.

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6. Bring the broth to a bare shiver — never a boil — and lower the canederli in.

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7. Simmer 15 minutes, until they float and are cooked through. Serve in the broth, or drained with melted butter, parmesan and chives.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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Why the Method Works

Genuinely stale bread — three or four days, dry all the way through — is the only kind that works. Fresh bread turns to paste when the milk hits it and the dumplings dissolve in the pot. Test one dumpling before committing the batch: if it falls apart, work a little flour into the mix; if it is heavy, add a splash more milk. The pot must never boil, only shiver.

Leftovers, Reheating and Keeping

Refrigerated for 2 days; reheat in broth. They freeze raw for 2 months.

Good With

• A glass of Lagrein
• Green salad
• Sauerkraut

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Ciabatta, Citrus Fennel Salad, Fave e Cicoria.

Questions and Answers

Canederli Nutrition

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: part of the energy comes from foods, or weights per item, with no recorded source. How the figures are worked out.

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