Prune Plum Dumplings

This recipe has mixed origins, I have found recipes from Romania, etc.  My grandparents immigrated from Czechoslovakia when they were teenagers, and this is a recipe she brought with her.  It took me years to get the dough correct as my mom passed away before I learned this one.

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Ingredients

• Italian prune plums
• potatoes
• 1 egg
• flour
• pinch of salt
• for serving
• cottage cheese
• melted butter
• cinnamon sugar mixture

Instructions

1. Begin by rinsing the plums and let them air dry while you are preparing the rest of the recipe.
2. Boiling your potatoes and when they are done – mash as usual. Cool to room temperature.
3. When potatoes are cool, add 1 egg, and mix, and begin adding flour 1/2 cup at a time, stirring briefly until you have reached a point where the texture is similar to a bread dough. cover and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
4. Flour your surface lightly and roll out your dough as though you were going to make a pie crust. cut the dough into rectangles, 2×3 or so, it is not important to be exact as the dough will stretch. pull it around the plum and seal completely. if there is excess dough, pinch it off – but remember to seal completely. sometimes just holding the dough together for 10-15 seconds will do the trick without adding any water.
5. When you have rolled all of your plums out, you can either freeze them at this point on a tray, or cook a few.
6. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil, lower your dumplings in carefully, so you don’t make a splash. it will sink straight to the bottom – this is normal. After a minute or so, give it a gentle stir so it doesn’t stick to the bottom. in about 8-10 minutes the dumpling will float to the top, at this point, it is done.
7. Prepare a dish by adding desired amount of cottage cheese to it. place 1-2 dumplings on top, and break open to let the juices run. drizzle with melted butter and shake some cinnamon sugar on the top – and ENJOY THEM.

All photographs copyright Janet S. Grey.