the return of the dumpling

when i was a little girl i had exceptionally round cheeks, and so "dumpling" was essentially my second name. this was not a bad thing then although if you called me dumpling today i may just take offense.

dumplings are the ultimate in comfort food which is probably why so many world cuisines have their own versions. being polish, i've had my share of various dumplings: filled or not, sweet or savory, the list goes on. but its been a while, since making dumplings is rather time consuming and, let's be honest, they are not the "healthiest" food out there. but even though i'm a bit of a wheat and dairy-phob and usually aim to pack the maximum nutritious value (as opposed to caloric value) into any meal (which means opting for foods that are whole, unprocessed, etc.) i lost my head for these wonderful northern italian dumplings that my friend marc oliver prepared for me yesterday. made with all the things i usually stay away from, they were TOTALLY worth the departure. the lesson here is that eating healthy is not just about what's good for your body, but also about what's good for your soul. and these delicious dumplings definitely fit that bill. a pleasure to look at and a pleasure to eat, they were exceptional!

p.s. amazing as they were, i am on a bit of a mission now to make them with brown/non-wheat bread and less dairy. i'll report back whether they are successful and get the "dumpling master's" stamp of approval.

marc oliver's spinach gorgonzola dumplings

1 french baguette (about 250g); dry
3 free run eggs
100g gorgonzola or other sharp cheese
150g spinach (sauteed)
1 stick butter, melted
80g flour
flat leaf italian parsley, chopped
0.5 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tomatoes, chopped
salt and cracked black pepper to taste

cut the dry baguette into small chunks. place the bread in a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, crumbled gorgonzola, cooked spinach, half of the melted butter, flour, parsley, chopped onion and minced garlic. mix well to integrate (tip: wash your hands and get into it that way). the dough should be sticky and hold together; if it is still too loose, let stand for a few minutes for the bread to absorb the excess liquids.

in a large pot, bring water to boil. add some salt. form the dumplings into desirable size - marc oliver's were about the size of a tennis ball, but i assume you can make them smaller if you prefer. place in the boiling water for about 5 min (by then they should be floating on the surface and the water boiling again). remove from the water, drain on a plate or in a strainer.

while the dumplings are cooking, melt the remaining butter and chop the tomatoes. in a separate pan, saute the tomatoes and chopped parsley for a couple of minutes just to warm up. plate the dumplings, drizzle with the butter and decorate with the tomatoes and grated parmesan cheese. as you can tell by the picture, marc oliver LOVES his parmesan.