(ED. Also see Taste of the Burgenland - Strudel Dough, in previous issues.)
Tom Webb writes:

I've been researching my wife's family recipes, to save them for my kids, and I found the attached in my old notes. It's both fascinating and amusing, and I thought I'd send it on to you.

When we lived in Pittsburgh in the 1970's, we heard about a dumpling recipe made by Mom's (née Grace Malits) great aunt, Albina (Mausser) Hebenstreit. Aunt Albina was a sister of Mom's maternal grandmother, Anna (Mausser) Kobca. These folks had migrated from the Burgenland in Austria around the time of World War I, as had Mom's father, Frank Malits.

So we invited Aunt Albina over one night to demonstrate her masterpiece, and I took careful notes of everything. She said she uses the dough in several ways: Filled with Krümels (Grammels-bits from rendering) and boiled in broth, cut into dumplings and boiled, made into apple strudel, and to fry small pieces left over as a snack.

What you need: She wanted a big bowl and a big wooden spoon, and a large clean working surface, so we cleared the dining table for her. She also wanted another pair of hands to hold the dough while she pulled it, a practiced art, no doubt.


(recipe begins on page 2)
AUSGEZOGENEKNÖDEL / PULLED-OUT DUMPLINGS  (from Tom Webb)

Ingredients:
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 or 2 tsp. salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 Tbsp. melted butter or margarine, plus some for basting the finished dough
  • 1 glass of tepid water (size?) add a little at a time

(ED. Make a dough! It should be firm but elastic. Not too sticky.)


Preparation:

Close the window, she says! (You need a warm room for this.)

Put the flour in the bowl and make a well in the center. Mix the eggs and butter into the well, and then water, and mix with the flour. Beat until the dough doesn't stick to the spoon. Knead on a floured board or table top until it doesn't stick to the hands. Cover with a cloth and let rest for half an hour.

Use a rolling pin to roll out flat, then work the dough thin over the fist (sort of like they do at pizza parlors, but you don't have to toss it in the air!). Then with somebody holding the dough on the other side, pull out the edges all the way around until it is very thin.

Brush (paint, she says) melted butter or margarine over the pulled-out dough (you could probably skip this extra fat).
(ED. No - No - don't ignore this - might dry out or cook too dry!)

Notes:

  1. Krümel roll: Krümels (Grammels) are the browned solids left after rendering cubed pork fat in a skillet. Drain well on brown paper. Lay Krümels on the thin dough and roll up, sealing the ends of the roll. Boil in a big pot of broth for half an hour. Serve with sour meat or roast beef or pork.
  2. Dumplings: Cut into short strips and drop into boiling broth or salted water. They are done when they rise to the surface. Serve in the soup or as a side dish.
  3. Apple strudel: Use as the dough in apple strudel. Quantities unknown - use your favorite strudel recipe.
  4. Leftovers as snacks: Cut into small pieces and sauté until browned.