Dödöli
Dödöli are potato and wheat dumplings that originate in Prekmurje, a region bordering Hungary. The name dödöli itself comes from Hungarian. They are also known as Krúmpluvi žganiki. Dödöli is almost always served with lard (or butter), fried onions and sour cream.
It is a simple peasant dish that was first recorded only in the 19th century. It is commonly eaten for lunch or dinner. In the past it was served as a main dish, whereas these days it is commonly served as a side dish to meat. If you decide to have it as a main course, I suggest serving it alongside a tomato salad with pumpkin seed oil.
This recipe was provided by my good friend Laura (the designer of the Slovenian kitchen logo) — it is a recipe from her mother-in-law who grew up in Prekmurje and prepares dödöli regularly.
Bogataj, Janez. Taste Slovenia. Ljubljana: Rokus Gifts & National Geographic, 2007.
Recipe
Ingredients:
500 g potatoes, peeled and cubed
370 g coarsely ground flour (ostra moka) or 400 g all-purpose flour
1 tbsp salt
1 large onion, cut into rings
100 g butter or lard (traditionally, lard is used)
100 g sour cream, or to taste
salt, pepper to taste
Instructions:
Place cubed potatoes into a large heavy-bottomed pan. Add cold water to cover potatoes by 2 inches.
Add salt and bring to a boil. Cook for about 30 min over medium or medium-low heat.
Reduce the heat and add the flour.
Use a wooden spatula handle make two holes in the flour mixture. It will look like a volcano with water in the center. Cover with a lid.
Let simmer for 15 min (do not mix). The Slovenian word žganiki derives from žgati, which means to burn or to toast. So do not worry too much if the bottom sticks, but it is important that the temperature is not too high, so it doesn’t burn the dish.
Pour away excess water and mix for several minutes until the mixture is uniform. This step requires a lot of strength. The mixture must be thick enough that if you put a spoon into it, it will stand upright.
Take a spatula full of the potato-flour-mush and use a fork to divide it into spoon-sized heaps. These are called dödöli.
Melt butter in a pan and fry the union rings. If you wish, put some onion rings aside and use them as decoration at the end.
Stir the sour cream into the onions. Add salt and pepper to taste. The sauce must be warm.
Pour the butter-onion-sour cream-mixture over the dödöli and serve hot.