One look at the bed full of red strawberries was enough and the children already knew what was going to be for lunch. There was no need to plan anything complicated at Grandma’s. As soon as the strawberry season started, the dumplings started. Fragrant, soft, topped with butter and sprinkled with cottage cheese. A sweet treat for some, a full lunch for others.
The beauty of strawberry dumplings is that they don’t need complicated ingredients. The basis is usually , which is soft, pliable and easy to work with.
Watch a video with tips on how to care for strawberries here:
Inside, there is a sweet strawberry that releases some juice during cooking and forms .
Simplicity is the reason why this recipe has been used in Czech households for decades.
Recipe for strawberry dumplings from cottage cheese dough
Raw materials:
- 250 g of soft cottage cheese
- 1 egg
- 150 g coarse flour
- a pinch of salt
- about 300 g of fresh strawberries
For sprinkling:
- grated cottage cheese
- melted butter
- icing sugar
Procedure:
Mix the cottage cheese with the egg, flour and a pinch of salt. Make a smooth dough. Wash the strawberries and remove the stems. Cut off smaller pieces from the dough, wrap one strawberry in each and form a dumpling. Place them in boiling salted water and cook for about eight minutes until they float to the surface. Remove the finished dumplings, let them drain briefly and serve with cottage cheese, melted butter and powdered sugar.
A lunch that tastes like dessert
The fact that lunch tastes like dessert is what has always been appealing about strawberry dumplings. The children perceived them more as a sweet reward than as a classic lunch.
At the same time, thanks to cottage cheese and dough, they can fill you up surprisingly well. It is not surprising that in many families they were among the most anticipated meals at the beginning of summer.
Freshly picked strawberries are the best
Although store-bought strawberries can also be used, dumplings made from freshly harvested fruit have the greatest charm.
Strawberries tend to be sweeter, more fragrant and juicier when bitten.
“They also taste great with toasted breadcrumbs in butter, vanilla cottage cheese or sour cream. An interesting summer option is also sprinkled with chopped almonds or pistachios and a few fresh strawberries on top,” recommends chef David Šlapák.
The taste of childhood that never gets old
Fashion in the kitchen is changing, new trends and exotic recipes are coming. But strawberry dumplings have held their place for decades.
Maybe because they combine the best of the Czech summer. Simple ingredients, fresh fruit and a taste that can bring you back to your childhood in just one bite. In addition, on hot June days, few lunches disappear from the plate as quickly as fragrant strawberry dumplings.
