Photo: © Österreich Werbung, Fotograf: Wolfgang Schardt

Ready in: 1h Serves: 10 medium-sized dumplings Complexity: medium

Ingredients:
7 oz. bread for dumplings (small cubes of dried white bread or crumbled white rolls)
approx. 6.5 liquid ounce milk
5.5 - 4 oz. smoked ham and/or spicy sausage (cured sausage etc.)
3 eggs
2 shallots or 1 small onion
butter or clarified butter for sweating the onions
2 tbsp freshly-chopped parsley
2 – 3 tbsp flour
salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg

Ingredients for the garnish:

melted butter
chopped parsley

Preparation

Finely chop the shallots, and cut the smoked ham or sausage into small cubes. Heat some butter or clarified butter in a pan and sweat the onions until translucent. Add the meat and the parsley and fry briefly, before removing from the heat.
Place the bread in a bowl. Beat the milk with the eggs and season well with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour over the bread. Stir in the sausage and onion paste and mix in the flour. Mix together to form a relatively firm dough (adding more bread or flour if necessary) and adjust the seasoning. Smooth the surface of the dough and let is rest for approx. 30 minutes.
Boil salted water in a large pot. Form smaller dumplings out of the dough by moistening your hands regularly with cold water during this process (this ensures a soomth surface of the dumplings)
Place dumplings into the boiling water, bring back to a boil, then turn down the heat and allow to simmer gently for around 8-20 minutes, depending on the size.
Take out of the water, dry them off well and arrange for serving. Garnish with chopped parsley and browned butter.

Small shaped Tirolean dumplings are often served as a garnish in strong, hot beef broth, while the bigger dumplings are served with warm sauerkraut or salad.