Ever tried canederli?
I’m a big fan of dumplings, in particular the Wagamama kind whenever I get to Dublin or Cork. These ones are a little different. Think the Italian answer to knödel as bread dumplings found traditionally in the north east of Italy.
In the past they would have been regarded as something of a poor man’s food, made with stale bread and a little milk to moisten things up for the cooking.
If you’re following a Veganuary drive (going vegan for January) or you’re looking to up your plant-based or vegan eating habits, this one could be for you.
The ingredients should be fairly accessible and the steps are pretty straight forward. You’ll find a vegan friendly recipe here every Monday for the month of January.
The following is a guest recipe from the Vegan Society.
Canederli (Dumplings)
A vegan-friendly version of a traditional Italian dish in Canederli (boiled dumplings)
Ingredients
- 40 g dried Italian bread
- 50 ml vegan milk
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 20 ml olive oil
- 30 g spinach cooked, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
- 7 g parsley finely chopped
- 25 g wheat flour
Instructions
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Break the bread into small pieces and pour just enough milk to moisten the bread. Set aside.
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2 Sauté the onions and add this to the bread together with the spinach, salt, pepper, nutmeg, oil and parsley.
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3 Add just enough flour so that the mix holds together.
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4 Form very compact balls slightly smaller than a golf ball in size and place them into a steamer.
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5 Cover and allow to cook for 12 minutes. Remove and lightly sauté in olive oil.
Don’t have access to a steamer or steaming basket? Here’s a few handy alternatives.
The important bit
This recipe was originally sent to me to mark World Vegan Month (November) and while the month has come and gone, January is a good time to revisit it.
Recipe copyright The Vegan Society, developed by Chico Francesco, London Vegetarian & Vegan School. Jo Brewer is the food stylist, photograph from Sue Hiscoe.
