Ham dumplings – from the pan, as a side dish with cheese sauce or soup garnish

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 200 g ham, cooked
• 5 eggs
• 500 g flour
• 250 ml water
• 1 tsp salt
• some black pepper from the mill
• some nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp pesto, basil
• 3 tbsp cheese, grated (e.g. Parmesan)

Instructions

Working time approx. 10 minutes; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour

the thing with all-round talent

Cut the cooked ham into very fine cubes. Place the ham, eggs, water, and spices in a bowl and blend thoroughly using a hand blender/mixer, or similar. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon to form a smooth dough. Chill the dough for about 30 minutes. Bring a fairly small pot with plenty of salted water (10 g of salt per 1 liter of water) to a boil. Then, using a spaetzle or knöpfle grater, the dough is “grated” into boiling salted water directly above the pot. They are cooked when they float to the top. Remove the ham dumplings in batches with a slotted spoon and dip them in lukewarm water (to refresh). Drain briefly in a sieve and keep warm in a bowl. For later use, either transfer to deep plates and pour over broth/soup, or fry in a large pan in clarified butter and serve with a sauce of your choice. My tip: Drizzle the ham dumplings with a little olive oil in the pan, then add about 2-3 tablespoons of basil pesto and toss well. Grate some more cheese over the top and serve immediately.