Canederli in Brodo (Bread Dumplings in Broth)

La storia di questo piatto

In the mountain kitchens of Alto Adige, nothing good is ever thrown away, and day-old bread becomes the soul of a dumpling kissed by smoky speck. It is a dish of thrift and tenderness, born of cold valleys and warm hearths.

Ingredienti

• 300 g Stale rustic bread
• 100 g South Tyrolean speck
• 3 pieces Eggs
• 60 g Grana cheese (Parmigiano-Reggiano)
• 15 g Fresh parsley
• 200 ml Whole milk
• 40 g Type 00 flour
• 40 g Onion
• 15 g Butter
• 1 g Salt
• 1 g Ground black pepper
• 0.5 g Nutmeg
• 1500 ml Meat broth (beef/chicken)

Preparazione

1. Cut the stale bread, crust included, into cubes of about 0.5-1 cm and place them in a large bowl. Finely mince the onion.
2. Heat the milk until it just steams, without boiling, and pour it over the bread. Mix and let rest for 15-20 minutes, until the bread is completely softened with no hard pieces remaining.
3. Cut the speck into small cubes. In a pan, melt the butter and sweat the onion for 3-4 minutes, then add the speck and brown for 2 minutes. Let it cool slightly. Grate the grana (set aside 10 g for serving) and roughly chop the parsley (set aside 5 g for serving).
4. Beat the eggs with a fork and add them to the bread together with the onion and speck, grana, parsley, flour, salt (go easy, as the speck and grana are already salty), pepper and a grating of nutmeg. Knead by hand for 2-3 minutes until smooth and homogeneous.
5. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, bring 200 ml of broth to a boil in a small pot, lower to a simmer and immerse a test dumpling (about 4 cm) for 8-10 minutes. If it falls apart, add 1 tablespoon of flour or some breadcrumbs to the mixture; if it is too dry and hard, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk.
6. With moistened hands, shape 12 balls of about 6 cm (100-110 g each), compacting them well between your palms. Bring the remaining broth (about 1.3 litres) to a boil in a wide pot, taste and adjust the salt.
7. Immerse all the dumplings together in the broth (if the pot is small, use two pots), lower the heat immediately and simmer gently for 15-18 minutes. The broth must not boil vigorously, or the dumplings will break apart. Floating does not indicate doneness: the dumplings are ready when they feel firm and compact to the touch.
8. Serve 3 dumplings per person in deep bowls with plenty of hot broth, garnished with the reserved parsley and grana. Serve immediately.