SEASONAL RITUAL: MEAT-FILLED DUMPLINGS

Some cold days feel longer than others. These lazy days are for taking it slow and spending time with your closest people. And for culinary rituals of course. Do you want to cook something special? We are pretty sure the answer is “yes”. The best part of culinary rituals is that you can share their magic with your family.

Small dumplings, also known as koldūnai [kol-doon-ay] in Lithuanian, come with a variety of fillings such as meat, curd or mushrooms. They can be described as Northern European interpretation of ravioli. For many of us, making dumplings is one of the dear heart-warming rituals during the cold season. There’s something so comforting about this meal; it brings you straight back to your childhood. Now grab your linen apron, find a few linen tea towels, and get inspired! For 1 kg of dumplings you will need:

For the Dough

• 380 g all-purpose flour
• 130 g water
• 1 egg
• salt

For the Filling

• 400 g minced pork
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 small onion
• salt and pepper
• sugar

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1. Let’s prepare the dough as we’ll have to leave it to rest. Beat eggs thoroughly. Add salt, water and flour to make a soft dough. Whisk together all ingredients except 50g flour and start kneading. If the dough is too runny, add the remaining flour. Don’t be afraid of flour, you have your linen apron that will protect you!The dough should be soft and workable. Knead it for about 10 min, then wrap the dough in cling film and rest for 10-15 minutes.2. While your dough is resting prepare the filling. Remove the papery outer skins of onion and chop it. Heat butter in a pan and add finely chopped onions. Mix sauteed onions, egg and the minced meat. Season with salt, sugar and pepper.

2. Roll out the dough to a thin sheet on the floured surface. Make sure it is about 3 mm thick and doesn’t tear. You can use a special dumpling maker like we did or just a simple glass to cut out dumpling halves. We use the same dumpling maker that has been used in our family for many years.
3. Place a scant teaspoon of the filling towards the bottom of one piece of dough. Press the edges firmly together.

At this point, you can freeze the dumplings to save them for much more hectic days than this. When you don’t have time even to think about eating lunch, just cook frozen dumplings and remember this perfect slow day in the kitchen. Boil water, add salt and cook dumplings for 5-7 minutes. If you wear your linen apron, you will look like a professional chef even in the most simple of situations!