Fresh Peas with Bread Dumplings (Broggala Ond Knepfla)

1. Pull the fresh peas out of the pod (use frozen peas in extreme emergencies) and place in a saucepan. Fill up with water, season with salt and simmer gently for approx. 10 minutes. When the peas are ready, strain them with a sieve and be sure to collect the cooking water!
2. Cut the rolls (preferably from the day before) into small cubes. Place in a bowl and pour the hot milk over them. Mix a little and cover and let rest for 10-15 minutes.
3. Peel the onion, cut into small cubes and sauté with a little butter until translucent. Wash and chop the parsley. Put something aside for the sauce. Briefly add the rest to the onions.
4. Add the eggs and a good portion of salt to the rolls and mix them together. Add the parsley and onions to the egg rolls and mix. Now mix lightly with your hands and knead a little. If the whole thing seems too dry, add some warm milk. Shape the dough into SMALL dumplings (approx. 4-5cm in diameter) with wet hands.
5. Melt the butter in a large saucepan (my stove is now on the highest setting). When the butter has melted and foamed, sprinkle in the same amount of flour at once and immediately mix well with a whisk. Wait a moment and then add a ladle of the pea boiling water, stirring constantly, until the mixture is smooth. Then another ladle of pea boiling water etc. until the sauce is the right consistency. Bring to the boil briefly. The sauce should now be a bit thick. If it is too thick, fill it up with hot water. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the peas and dumplings and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes.

Annotation:

1. This is a dish that I often had at home (in Swabian) in the past and is one of my favorite dishes. With us it was called “Broggala ond Knepfla”. Translated something like “Ausgepulte and Knödel”. Whereby peas are the freshly peas from the pods and Knepfla are small bread dumplings. Everything together in a stew with a light sauce is a delicious summer meal (because only then are the fresh peas available). And … It is a recipe from my dear Grandma Schuh (affectionately called sneaker), who provided me with her cooking tips up to the old age of 99 …