International Dumpling Incident: Spinat Knödel mit Gorgonzola Sauce

Can you guess what time is is, kids? That's right, it's  International Incident time, a monthly (ish) event in which  food bloggers from around the world come together and create their own version of a dish based on a theme. After our last two successful parties - gnocchi and pizza pie - this month's Incident is all about dumplings. (To check out my compatriots' creations, please visit our party host, Penny aka Jeroxie.)

As much fun as I had with pizza, I've really been looking forward to this one because I've been wanting an excuse to recreate the hearty, rib-sticking dish I had at the Cafe Phönixhof in Vienna: rich and cheesy spinat knödel (spinach dumplings) mit gorgonzola sauce.

I'm not going to lie to you. This is not diet food, people, so I suggest you go out and ski the Alps, or climb some very high cathedral towers (twice), or hike the entire Wienerwald before indulging in these doughy calorie bombs. Trust me, though  - it's worth it.  And though I haven't read anything to confirm this, I suspect that the specific use of gorgonzola here, rather than simply "blue cheese," as is more traditional, reflects the current Austrian love of, as Chef Mike put it, all things "in the Italian style." But more on that in a future post.

Keep in mind that these amounts are not exact, as I adapted this from a recipe I found here, which listed all the ingredients in grams, and I am ashamed to admit that I still do not have a proper scale. So I eyeballed it.  Another note - while typically dumplings are steamed or boiled, I decided to try to emulate the slightly browned and crispy exterior of the ones I had at Cafe Phönixhof and bake mine.  This was a huge success, but I did boil one (actually you simmer, not boil, dumplings of this size and  type) and this one had a more soft and puffy  - dare I say dumpling-y? - texture.

But enough of my musings - let's get to the knödels!

Spinat  Knödel mit Gorgonzola Sauce 

For the knödel

400 g (that's about 9 slices) of slightly stale white bread, crusts removed and diced

250 ml (about a cup) of milk

500 g (a lot!) baby spinach
2 eggs
1/3 cup (or 150 g)  Parmesan cheese (finely grated)
1/3 cup (original calls for 160 g) breadcrumbs, I used plain matzoh meal
salt, pepper, to taste
freshly ground nutmeg, to taste

For the Sauce

6 ounces gorgonzola cheese

1/4 cup whole milk

First, soak the cubed bread in the milk and let sit for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, blanch the spinach and immediately shock with cold water. Drain all excess water and chop. 

Squeeze off any excess milk  from the breadcrumbs and combine the rest of the ingredients - the egg, Parmesan, Matzoh meal, salt, pepper, & nutmeg - and mix until smooth. Let sit for about 15 minutes. 

Now, form the mixture into uniform balls - a bit larger than golf balls. If you're baking your knödel, place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (If you're boiling, remember that you want the water to be simmering, not boiling.) 

Before baking, I brushed each knödel with a little melted butter (at this point, what are a few more calories??) to keep them moist and help them get that slightly crisp exterior I wanted.  Pop into a 375 degree oven and bake for 30-40 minutes. Check the bottom of your dumplings about halfway through to make sure that they aren't burning. 

When the knödel are almost ready, make your sauce. Just combine the milk and gorgonzola over a low flame, stirring constantly, until combined.  To plate, make a sauce bed for the knödel, drizzle a bit more over the top, and garnish with parsley.  Eat, drink ... and then fall into a stupor.

Enjoy the dumpling party, and don't forget to head over to Jeroxie: Addictive and Consuming to check out all the other awesome interpretations of this theme. And of course, happy birthday to all the May Incident Crew babies, including Mardi of Eat Live Travel Write, who is celebrating a milestone birthday this month.  Bonne Anniversaire!