The Battle of the Knoedel

Dr. Rob Case

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 21:20:58 GMT

Great article !

I was raised in Switzerland and the South Tirol. Your article and pictures brought back many wonderful memories ( minus all the onions I used to chop every day ).

Keep up the good work !

Cheers,

Rob

Julian

Fri, 1 Apr 2011 00:18:05 GMT

hey francois
i"ve greatly enjoyed your site, and a lot of the recipes you post are delicious. i just tried your recipe for almond sorbet and found it sorely oversweetened but it made a good base for some weird margharitas. one thing i admire about your recipes and by extent about you is your unwillingness to confirm to any trends. because sometimes it just fucking makes me sick, all the weird shit people cook to be "fusion" or "ethnical" or whatever is the catchphrase of the moment.
anyway.
your duck ragu was brilliant. so was your garlic soup, although i took the time to simmer a lot of veal bones and vegetables in water before adding it to the garlic roux. unfortunately you often use ingredients that are a hassle to get.
nevertheless. i always loved cooking and it"s nice to find a kindred spirit. keep up the good work.

John-Christopher Ward

Sun, 6 Mar 2011 02:23:47 GMT

I hope you are well. I truely miss your photos and postings.

John

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 11:19:48 GMT

FX cuisine is my favourite recipe site. Knoedel reminded me of something my father used to make and I don"t know what the name of it is. Very simple. Stale bread (pagnotta) olive oil, boiling water, oregano and parmesan cheese. Have boiling water at hand. Fry garlic in some olive oil until soft. Add torn/chopped bread pieces and stir for a few seconds, add boiling water and stir mixture until bread softens, add dried oregano and stir again before serving with grated parmesan cheese. Simple but strangely flavoursome.
Regards
John

fx

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:11:49 GMT

Me encanta que vas a probar esta receta para tu hija!

m� dolores

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 22:53:28 GMT

Esta receta la he buscado para llevarla al cole de mi hija ya que la suelo hacer muy amenudo. Yo la aconpa�o con un asado de carne de cerdo y esa salsa se aconpa�a con el kn�del est� delicioso.Esta comida la he aprendido de mi suegra que estuvo viviendo en alemania 15 a�os y cuando la hac�a era un d�a de fiesta.(ella nos dej� hace 3 a�os).

Siri Gottlieb

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 04:39:13 GMT

I just discovered this knoedel article and fell over laughing. It"s so funny and clever. Can"t wait to try them on my next enemy.

I see you haven"t posted in a while ... I hope you are OK
Siri in Michigan USA

fx

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 20:58:31 GMT

Frans, thanks a lot for your advice about restaurants in Munich, I only know two, K�K Monarchie (if it still exists) and the N�rnberger Bratwurst Gl�ckl am Dom, where I have Kaiserschmarren. As you can see, not much to go by and I will gladly try the one close to the Viktualienmarkt.

Frans

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 20:25:48 GMT

Personally, I think if you have consulted Hans Peter Pinkowski, a German-born chef, trained in �sterreich and working in S�dtyrol, your editorial comments about the battle of the kn�del/kl��e v. the canederli are sound . . . but please don"t write off all the kn�del/kl��e just yet. For example, you asked where to find good kn�del in M�nchen. I certainly agree with all of Daniel"s suggestions, but I"d have to say my favourite is Wirtshaus zum Straubinger @ 5 Blumenstra�e, just off the ever so amazing Viktualienmarkt. Small & friendly, not touristy at all; & most of all, a great Bavarian resto.

In the meantime, I always have this debate with my wife . . . where in the world is the best dumpling?

fx

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:59:00 GMT

Hola Roxana, estoy muy contento de ler tus commentarios. Gracias!

roxana

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:01:04 GMT

Un enorme placer encontrarme con tu enfoque,soy una cocinera m�s que experta, y aprecio tu capacidad did�ctica,tu manera de presentar las recetas y sobre todo la sensibilidad, y ese peque�o toque de humor, viv� en alemania unos cuantos a�os, espero recibir m�s delicias tuyas,toda mi gratitud, en la cocina uno no deja de aprender,de sorprenderse, y de repartirse,
roxana

richiek

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 18:57:23 GMT

I agree wholeheartedly with Daniela"s comments. I have had German knoedel probably hundreds of times--most are good, some are not so good, but overall have had an amazing variety of knoedel. Actually my favorite ones I have had have been in Baden-Wuertemberg!

fx

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 21:57:22 GMT

I"ll make sure to give Germanic knoedel another go then!

Daniela

Thu, 21 May 2009 16:15:06 GMT

I have to say, going by your rather bizarre take on German Knoedel, or Kloesse as they are known in many parts of Germany, you haven"t got the faintest clue about them. Sure, you get horrifyingly bad ones wherever you go, but what nonesense to suggest Italian ones are better than German ones or vice versa. What they are is different. You get more different types of Knoedel in these countries than you can shake a stick at. And if you really want to find out more about Knoedel, the place you have to go to is Austria, where they make so many different varieties that the German or Italian versions simply can"t keep up. And indeed, you use flower to make certain types, although never in vast quantities if you want to keep them light. Plus you get ones made with potato, others with ricotta-type cheese (called Topfen), some with buckwheat, some filled with fruit, others with cheese or meat, some are made with freshwater fish, and some are made with stale or dried bread, combined with all sorts of other ingredients. What I"m trying to tell you is that it"s pure nonesense to make blanket statements about them as per your website.

fx

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 02:34:18 GMT

Lowell, there are many, many recipes for canederli but none as good as one"s mother"s version!

Lowell F

Tue, 6 Jan 2009 15:19:30 GMT

Intersting recipe. My mother is Tyrolian (No. Alps between Austria and Italy) and she has made a similar dish since I was a child. My Grandmother brought it here from the old country. I"m 56 by the way.
Mother makes it a little differently. She makes the baseball sized dumplings with the cubed bread, onion, parsley egg and a little milk. She adds small cubed salamy and even a little bacon. Then she makes a soup broth for the dumplings. Sure is good.

fx

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:18:58 GMT

Have fun with the Kn�dels!

Rosedarpam

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 12:51:47 GMT

I have been looking for a recipe for knoedel for many years. I once had lebbenknoedel in Tokyo in the 1950"s. It was served with a delicate but savory consomme. I intend to try your recipe and will also try to make a liver version. Thanks.

fx

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:09:20 GMT

Daniel, I have to visit those places next time I"m in town, thanks a lot for the tips! Once we had dinner at K�K Monarchie, very unique concept to say the least, pleasant people.

Daniel Eliasson

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:35:18 GMT

Hey FX,

I"m reviving this comment thread to tip you off about some Munich kn�dels, as requested. Since I"m mostly on a student budget, I can"t really recommend any of the cities" pricier locations, but they tend to focus on non-Bavarian cooking anyway.

You mention a place next to the cathedral, might it be Augustiner am Dom? They serve good, typical Bavarian fare at reasonable prices. Another good spot in the city is the Ratskeller, a cavernous restaurant located underneat the Rathaus. Very good food, reasonable prices, and a large selection of wines. Geheimtipp: Lammhaxl. A third central location is the Weisses Brauhaus (located on Tal 17), which is very, very traditional. You can get all the Bavarian food you ever wanted here, and a lot that you never wanted (like the brain, or Saure Lunge). Affordable, and the service is typically Bavarian, i.e rude.

Last, but not least, Wirtshaus zur Brez"n on Leopoldstra�e close to M�nchner Freiheit is a very popular Bavarian restaurant. I had a Haxn with Kartoffelkn�del there a couple of days ago, and the kn�del was very good. Rather light and springy, not too sticky, and with good sauce absorption. They also have great schnitzels and cold platters. Recommended.

fx

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:22:18 GMT

Martin, this sounds like a nice trick to prepare lots of kn�dels! What does your father put inside to flavor them?

Martin

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 10:38:17 GMT

On the food processor question, my father, a native of Munich, uses a meat slicer to cut loaves of stale bread into thin (5 mm or so) slices. He puts the slices in a large bowl, adds the wet ingredients, gives it a quick toss with his hands, and lets everything soak for a while (as above).

Using the slicer saves a lot of time, and doesn"t seem to affect the end result. If the bread isn"t really stale, he"ll slice it in the morning and leave it for several hours (cut so thinly, it gets stale quickly).

fx

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:26:39 GMT

Daniel, let me know of your best kn�del eating places in Munich. There is one I like right next to the cathedral, they do wicked Kaiserschmarren, but do they make the best kn�del in town?

fx

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 07:53:53 GMT

Toby Esterhasy, you did a good job with Grigoriev, I guess he won"t need too many kn�dels to have a heart attack!

fx

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 07:52:07 GMT

Traci, thanks for trying this and congratulations on your result! You are absolutely right with the liver, it is one of the four canonical Kn�dels in S�dtyrol in fact. Mr Pinkowski indicated 100ml liquid for 500gr bread and I also had to ask more. He is playing with his cards close to the jacket, maybe there should be more liquid...

Traci

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 15:18:22 GMT

Hey Francois -- I made the Knoedels last night! Your recipe. Very simple and delicious! And I"m sure I didn"t do it perfectly, so I can only imagine how good they are when done right. My dough was really dry even after the eggs (I couldn"t have formed balls, they wouldn"t have stuck together), so I added a pinch more milk, then even a pinch more egg because I didn"t want to add too much milk. Hard to know if they were right or not, since I"ve never had them before. But I think it worked well. The held together well, very delicate and tender, but did not fall apart. Oh, you know what ever, I lightly toasted fresh bread, I didn"t use the stale. I forgot that your post said only stale bread. So, I"ll make sure next time it"s stale. We"ll see if that makes a difference. I like also the idea of adding liver! Do you just add it like you did the spinach? I have some liver pate and I wonder how it would taste to melt that in?

Esterhase

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 11:32:33 GMT

I assumed refrigerated would be ok for a day or so, but unrefrigerated? That sounds like a new capital punishment method!And yes I am *the* Toby Esterhase - j/k :P �He and Smiley are my favorite two characters from that trilogy.

Traci

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:50:15 GMT

Excellent! I will definitely be making these - maybe tomorrow? We always have a yummy dinner on Friday nights because we used to go out, but after having a baby, we don"t get to go out as much, so I usually just make something decadent on Friday.

Daniel Eliasson

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:25:59 GMT

I"ve had my fair share of cantine kn�del since I moved to Munich, and I would say that bread kn�del is mostly fine to eat without paramedics present. The potato versions can send you into a deep coma if you"re not cautious.

I have had some great kn�del in Munich, too, but I do suspect that the Italian version is regularly a bit lighter in taste. This one looks great with the spinach, I"ll have to try it!

fx

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:05:28 GMT

Esterhase, fresh eggs, milk and air is a fine breeding ground for bacterias. There are many, many microorganisms all over the kitchen, and some of them can kill you if they can multiply. Leaving such a dough in the fridge or, even better, outside in the kitchen, for a night or longer, might cause the Kn�del to become a disease-infected sponge. If you fail to boil it long enough to bring the core temperature high enough, you"ll serve your guest with a potentially lethal dose of nasty bacterias. Such is the risk when eating Kn�dels in the wrong place.

Are you a character from John Le Carr�"s novel Smiley"s People? Same name!

fx

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:52:24 GMT

Ben, no way to do this with a food processor, you"d end up with a pudding fit for hundred-year-olds to eat with a straw. The cutting into cubes is really fun and with a long serrated blade it"s done in no time. Check the last scene from Kill Bill II to see how suspenseful that can be!

fx

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:49:57 GMT

Dave, if she follows the recipe her kn�dels will take you straight to the valhalla!

Dave Dragon

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:05:49 GMT

Nice article, I can"t wait till my German Wife gets home tonight!
Oh honey, I"m craving kn�dels, again...

Ben

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:41:12 GMT

Beautifully done once again. However, could one use a food processor on the bread to get rough breadcrumbs instead of cutting them into cubes?

Esterhase

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:01:27 GMT

So what happens to the dough when you leave it for a day or two? Do they typically not refrigerate it?

fx

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:32:36 GMT

MiniMooh, but I love the Germans just as much as the Italians - and both are well liked in Switzerland. Nothing nationalistic, but I nearly choked many times on bad kn�dels in Germany and they are just better in Italy. I did all my interview with the chef in German, a language that I had to learn at school just like you would if you wanted to learn, say, Swedish. So I feel entitled to point out a comparison between the same dish on both sides of the border, both sides who speak the same language.

MiniMooh

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:15:45 GMT

Great recipe, as always, looks very tempting. But I am a bit disappointed of your nationalistic undertone. I know, the germans are not very well liked in Switzerland, but I thought you would know better then that?! Besides - I had great Kn�del in a restauarnt close to Leipzig, so your impression of german cooking may be a bit dated.

fx

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:30:05 GMT

Alan, thanks and let me know if you know a cookbook literary agent or publisher! In this article I"m using little off-camera strobes, they are great fun.

fx

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:29:22 GMT

Bine, the beer wasn"t mine, I had a couple Hol�nderbl�te / blackcurrant flower syrup that sent me straight to heaven.

Bine

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:51:31 GMT

Is that a Forst beer I see in the first photo? Oh, I HAVE to go to S�dtirol again soon. Thanks for the Kn�del recipe. I"ve always wanted to make some myself, but up to now I just didn"t dare - yet thanks to your detailed desription and excellent photos I think I might give it a try...

Alan

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:14:15 GMT

I think there"s a German saying that goes "that tastes like another". Congratulations Francois on another great recipe, which I will try out as soon as possible. And in case I haven"t said it yet, your photography is exquisite. You should really think of publishing your site in book form