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Canederli In Brodo (Italian Dumplings in Broth)

Photo Credit
Becky Luigart-Stayner
The Editors
Yield
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Category
Soups, Stews, Chowders
Course
Lunch
Main Dish
Soup
Credit
Ann Hicks, Indianapolis, Indiana
Sources
The Old Farmer's Almanac Readers' Best Recipes
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My grandmother brought this Italian Dumpling recipe from the mountainous Trentino Alto Adige region of northern Italy. The canederli isn’t really a dumpling; it’s more like a simple ball of bread, usually stuffed with bacon and cheese cooked in meat broth. My grandmother, Gelinda Dalpiaz, said it was a good use for stale bread. 

Today, my mother usually serves the Canederli In Brodo for soup at a family dinner. It’s warm, delicious, nutritious, and hearty!

Ingredients
1 Italian bread loaf (10 to 14 slices, crust removed, slightly dried)
1-1/2 cups warm milk
8 slices bacon, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 pound Genoa salami or prosciutto, finely chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
6 to 7 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 to 1 cup all-purpose flour
chicken broth, heated
Instructions
  1. Moisten bread with milk. Squeeze out excess milk.
  2. In a skillet over medium heat, cook bacon with onions for 5 to 8 minutes, or until bacon is crisp. Pour off and discard fat. Set pan aside to cool.
  3. Bring a pot of water to a boil.
  4. Mix together bread, onions and bacon, eggs, salami, Parmesan, 4 to 5 tablespoons parsley, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add enough flour to form soft balls about 3 inches in diameter. (You can make balls another size but must adjust cooking time.)
  5. Drop balls, one at a time, into boiling water. Simmer 3-inch balls for 15 minutes, or until each puffs up and rises to the top. Remove balls carefully with a slotted spoon.
  6. Serve one or two balls per bowl, covered with heated broth. Garnish with remaining parsley.
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Comments

Leah Okeson (not verified)

1 year 11 months ago

Can the dumplings be kept in the hot broth or will they fall apart?

Dumplings in general should be stored out of the fluids. In Bavaria we often used the leftover dumplings by slicing and frying them with scrambled eggs, cooked soup meats or bacon and herbs , which was called "Katzngschrei" (cat screams)

Lynne (not verified)

2 years 1 month ago

My grandmother came from the same area of Italy. She made these for us and now my sister and I make them for our families. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

Mary M (not verified)

3 years 3 months ago

My grandfather was from the same town...Trento. Sadly that area was hit very hard with COVID. He came to America when his parents died of the flu and he wound up in Ohio working as a coal miner. He met my American born grandmother and she taught him how to read and write English. The family moved to. NY during the depression. My mom made this often, but as a kid I didn’t like them. Now, as a grandmother myself, I appreciate and enjoy these wonderful recipes and family heritage.

Julia (not verified)

5 years ago

I am from the same area in Italy, and was so happily surprised to see this recipe, I make it for the holidays, my family love it.