Spicy South Tyrolean pretzel dumplings

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 170 g pretzels or pretzel sticks without salt, from the day before
• 1 egg(s), size M
• 40 g whole milk, warm
• 60 g sour cream
• 1 tsp sugar, fine
• 90 g vegetable onion(s), brown
• 4 medium-sized garlic cloves
• 80 g smoked meat, streaky, in cubes
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 5 tbsp celery leaves, fresh or frozen
• 2 tbsp wheat flour type 405
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp black cumin
• 1 tsp chicken broth powder
• 1 tsp Pepper (pepper flakes), red, dried, with seeds, hot
• 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 tbsp oregano, shredded
• 1 tbsp Italian herbs
• 80 g Pecorino, in small cubes
• n. B. Oil for the plate
• n. B. Romaine lettuce for garnishing

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 40 minutes

A side dish for sauerkraut and roast pork. Recipe from South Tyrol, Italy.

Cut the pretzels or pretzel sticks into small pieces. Crack the egg and whisk it with whole milk, cream, and sugar. Pour over the pretzel pieces, mix well, and let it sit for 10 minutes. If the mixture is runny, press off the milk using a clean tea towel. Chop the onion and garlic cloves into smaller pieces. Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the onion mixture until light brown. Add the smoked meat and fry for about 2-3 minutes, until it smells pleasant. Remove from the pan and keep ready. Wash the fresh celery, shake dry, and pick off any unblemished leaves. Chop and set aside the required amount. Freeze the rest. Measure frozen products and let them thaw. Knead the pretzel mixture thoroughly and knead in the onion mixture along with the celery. Sprinkle the flour and baking powder over the mixture and incorporate. Then add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Season the dough with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Be sparing with the salt! Finally, mix in the pecorino cubes. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. With wet hands, form ping-pong ball-sized dumplings and set aside on an oiled plate. Bring 2 liters of salted water to a simmer in a large pot. Drop the dumplings into the water in two batches and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the finished dumplings from the salted water. Use immediately or let them cool and freeze. After thawing, simmer briefly again to reheat. Note: Well-cooled dumplings can be cut and fried like fried potatoes.