Carrots with thick ribs and "clunkers"

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg rib(s), fresh, thick
• 1 kg potatoes
• 1 kg carrot(s)
• 1 large onion(s)
• 50 g bacon, fat
• 2 tsp broth, granulated
• 50 g clarified butter, for frying
• 250 ml water
• 200 g flour
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 1 pinch of white pepper
• 4 allspice berries
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 garlic clove(s)

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 4 hours; Total time approx. 5 hours 15 minutes

The ultimate recipe

Preparing the Klunker: Probably the most annoying part of this dish are the Klunker. To do this, pour 250 ml of water into a bowl and gradually stir in about 200 g of flour and 1 teaspoon of salt. The mixture should be nice and thick, but not a stiff dough. Let the mixture stand for a moment so that the flour can swell sufficiently. In the meantime, put a large pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. Prepare a glass of cold water and two teaspoons. To make the Klunker, dip the moistened teaspoon into the mixture, move the spoon along the edge of the bowl to scrape off any dripping batter, and then slowly let the mixture slide from the spoon into the boiling water. This takes a little practice, and you’ll soon figure out whether the batter has the right consistency. The Klunker will sink to the bottom of the pot at first, but will rise again on its own when it’s ready. You can then remove the finished Klunker with a ladle and let it dry in a colander. I got 40 nice chunks out of the mixture. These chunks will be used later. The meat: Season the thick rib with salt and pepper and sear on all sides in a little clarified butter. Peel an onion, roughly chop it, and sauté it as well. Then add about 400 ml of water, along with the allspice berries, the bay leaf, and the garlic clove. Cook the meat either in the oven for about 2.5 hours or in a pressure cooker for about 35 minutes. When the meat is nice and tender and the bones of the thick rib practically fall out, remove the thick rib, the bay leaf, the allspice berries, and, if still visible, the garlic clove from the pot. While the meat is cooking, peel the carrots and cut them into approximately 1 cm cubes. Peel the potatoes and roughly chop them. Add the carrots and potatoes to the meat stock (including the onion) and cook until soft. In a roasting pan in the oven, this takes about 45-60 minutes. In a pressure cooker, it’s done in 10-15 minutes. While the vegetables are cooking, cut the thick rib into bite-sized pieces. Whether you use the fatty parts or just the lean parts of the rib is a matter of taste. When the vegetables are nice and soft, mash everything together and season with granulated stock, salt, and pepper. Add the meat to the mash and let everything sit for a moment. Now it’s time to finish the dumplings. To do this, melt the fatty bacon in a pan and remove the cracklings. Carefully fry the dumplings in this rendered fat until golden brown. Once they’ve reached the desired browning, they’re ready to eat. I sometimes add a little salt to the dumplings after frying. These delicious, crispy dumplings are an absolute must for us at this Carrot and Share Meal. Make the effort and don’t leave them out. Preparation is time-consuming if you don’t use a pressure cooker. Then everything has to be simmered in the oven for hours.