L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 24 L'Italo-Americano A s a s t u d e n t , I u s e d t o l i v e with a girl from Merano, Alto Adige: two Ital- ians abroad, both from the m o u n t a i n s — o n e f r o m those of Piemonte, the other from the Dolomites — we had a lot of things in com- m o n , i n c l u d i n g a g e n e t i c l o v e f o r t h e s n o w a n d trekking at high altitude, and a penchant for heavy, h o m e m a d e l i q u o r s . H e r brother used to make a fan- tastic berry grappa. But I'm digressing. The point is that she was the one who introduced me to what became a favorite dish of mine, canederli. A l s o k n o w n a s k n ö d e l o r dumplings, they are tradi- tional from the region of Alto Adige, as well as other areas of Central and Eastern Europe, including Germany, A u s t r i a , S w i t z e r l a n d , Poland, the Czech Republic (where they are known as k n e d l i k y ) , a n d S l o v a k i a . T h e y a r e a l s o a c o m m o n d i s h i n t h e m o u n t a i n s o f Veneto and Friuli, where they may also be referred to a s c h i n e g h i o r b a l o t e s , meaning "big balls." Canederli are considered part of the culinary tradi- t i o n o f c u c i n a p o v e r a because they were born — a long time ago, we will see! — out of necessity, as a way to use leftovers. Indeed, one of their defining character- istics is their simplicity, as they are made from basic ingredients, including stale bread, eggs, milk, flour, and a variety of flavorings such a s s p e c k ( s m o k e d h a m ) , cheese, or herbs. The stale bread is soaked in milk or water and then mixed with t h e o t h e r i n g r e d i e n t s t o form a dough. The dough is then shaped into small balls or cylindrical shapes and c o o k e d b y e i t h e r b o i l i n g them in salted water or fry- i n g t h e m u n t i l g o l d e n b r o w n . U s u a l l y , t h e y a r e served with melted butter and parmesan on top, or in a meat broth. The origins of canederli can be traced back to the cuisine of the Tyrolean Alps in the Middle Ages, where they were initially created as a way to utilize stale bread and avoid waste; they were a hearty and satisfying meal f o r t h e m o u n t a i n o u s region's inhabitants, provid- ing sustenance during long, c o l d w i n t e r s . I n d e e d , w e have proof of their populari- ty in medieval times thanks to a cycle of frescoes in the chapel of Hocheppan Castle, a historic fortress perched atop a mount in Missiano, offering breathtaking views o f t h e e n t i r e O l t r a d i g e r e g i o n t o t h e c a p i t a l , B o l z a n o . T h e p a i n t i n g , which dates back to the late 1 2 t h c e n t u r y , i s c a l l e d C a n e d e r l i E a t e r s a n d depicts a scene with a labor- ing girl attended by a nurse- maid in the kitchen, over- seeing the cooking of five canederli in a pot. With a gesture of anticipation, the nursemaid takes one of the dumplings with her fork to t a s t e i t : t h i s i m a g e , k e p t w i t h i n t h e w a l l s o f a n ancient Alpine castle, is the earliest known portrayal of our canederli. As it often happens, truth a n d f i c t i o n m i x w h e n i t c o m e s t o u n d e r s t a n d i n g how a popular food came to be. In the case of canederli, legend has it that they were born from the ingenuity of a n i n n k e e p e r f a c e d w i t h hungry mercenaries late at night. With only scraps of s p e c k a n d o t h e r c u r e d meats left in her kitchen, she ingeniously combined them with stale bread, flour, a n d m i l k t o f o r m b a l l s cooked in boiling water. The story may be invented, but the way canederli came to be is probably not far from that. We said that canederli are simple, but that doesn't mean they are boring: while their basic recipe remains c o n s i s t e n t , t h e r e a r e n u m e r o u s v a r i a t i o n s a c r o s s A l t o A d i g e a n d beyond. Some recipes call for the addition of spinach or other vegetables (this was the way my friend used to make them!), while others incorporate different types of meat or cheese. The type of bread could also change, a s b o t h w h i t e a n d b r o w n varieties are used, another nod to how canederli's ver- s a t i l i t y c o m e s f r o m t h e i r origin as a piatto di riciclo, a dish made not to throw away leftovers. In Trentino, canederli m a y f e a t u r e i n g r e d i e n t s such as Alpine herbs and m u s h r o o m s , w h i c h a d d unique flavor profiles to the dumplings. In South Tyrol, where German and Italian influences converge, they often incorporate speck, the t r a d i t i o n a l s m o k e d h a m typical of the region, along with a wider range of ingre- dients reflecting both culi- n a r y p r a c t i c e s , w h i c h include cheeses like Parmi- giano, Asiago, graukase, or any other local formaggi d ' a l p e g g i o , s p i n a c h a n d lashings of butter. Often, they are made with ground m e a t , i n w h i c h c a s e t h e y t e n d t o b e c o n s u m e d i n broth, rather than with but- ter. S e a s o n a l i t y i s a l s o i m p o r t a n t , a s m a k i n g canederli goes hand in hand w i t h w h a t ' s a v a i l a b l e , s o during the summer months vegetables and fresh herbs are a more common ingredi- ent, while hearty meats and cheeses are favored during the winter. I n a d d i t i o n t o s a v o r y variations, canederli also l e n d t h e m s e l v e s t o s w e e t interpretations. In this case, however, we don't use stale bread, but flour and sugar along with, of course, the omnipresent eggs, butter, and milk. Among the most famous in Alto Adige, we have apricot canederli, which are made with flour, eggs, sugar, salt, milk, and butter, mixed with ricotta or a soft cheese like quark. The dough is rolled out thin, cut into squares, and wrapped around apricots filled with m a r z i p a n . T h e n , t h e y ' r e boiled for about eight min- utes and served dry with a s a u c e m a d e w i t h m e l t e d butter, breadcrumbs, and a dash of cinnamon. You can also make sweet canederli w i t h s e a s o n a l f r u i t s l i k e strawberries or plums, or even stuff them with choco- late. ... As for my friend who used to make canederli for me when we were students, well... she still does! She came visiting last year from Merano, brought me a big chunk of homemade speck f r o m h e r f a r m , a n d t o o k o v e r t h e k i t c h e n o n e evening to prepare them, just as she used to do. It was a delicious meal, perfect to h o n o r a g r e a t d i s h a n d a great friendship! Hearty and delicious canederli! FRANCESCA BEZZONE Spinach canederli with melted butter and sage (Photo: Olga Mazyarkina/Dreamstime) LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES OPEN 8AM - 5PM MONDAY TO SATURDAY. SUNDAY CLOSED

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