Curd Cheese Dumplings with Butter and Breadcrumbs

Have ready a pot with a capacity of about 5 l, a bowl, a fork or potato masher, a knife, a slotted spoon, a small skillet, and a serving platter. Pour 3 l water into the pot, add 10 g salt, and start heating it; the water will heat while you prepare the dough. Mash all 600 g curd cheese thoroughly until no large, hard lumps remain. The cheese should be dry but come together into a soft mixture; do not add milk or cream.

Crack both eggs into the curd cheese, then add the remaining 2 g salt and mix. Add all 120 g flour reserved for the dough. Mix briefly with a spatula, then by hand, just until the dry streaks disappear. The mixture should be soft and slightly sticky but come together into one mass; do not knead it for long and do not add more flour to the dough.

Use the reserved 10 g flour to lightly dust the work surface and knife blade, using only as much as needed to release the dough. Divide the dough into four portions of similar size. Gently shape each into a roll about 30 cm long and 3 cm in diameter, flatten it slightly to a thickness of 1.5–2 cm, and cut it diagonally into 12 pieces, about 2.5 cm apart. Keep the end pieces too: you will have about 48 dumplings, 12 per serving. Space them apart on the floured surface and discard any loose excess flour.

While the water heats, melt all 60 g butter in the small skillet over low heat. Add the 40 g breadcrumbs and cook for about 3–4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the topping is golden and fragrant, without dark brown or black flecks. Do not let the butter burn. Take the skillet off the heat; keep all its contents for serving, without draining.

Once the water boils, lower the heat so it bubbles gently. Add the first 16 dumplings, leaving them room, and gently loosen them from the bottom with a spoon. Once the whole batch floats, cook for about another 2 minutes at a gentle boil. Take out one dumpling and cut it in half: the center should be soft and cooked, without a raw, floury streak. If it is still raw, return both test halves to the pot and cook them with the remaining dumplings for about another 1–2 minutes, until the dough is cooked through. Lift out the entire batch with a slotted spoon, including the cooked halves, and let them drain briefly over the pot.

Transfer the first batch to the serving platter and cover loosely to keep it warm. In the same water, cook the second and third batches of 16 dumplings each, one after the other, in the same way, for about 2 minutes after they float; do not add all the remaining dumplings at once. Before the next batch, let the water return to a gentle boil. Each batch usually takes about 4–6 minutes from adding the dumplings to lifting them out. Add the drained dumplings to the platter, then discard the salted water after the last batch.

Briefly reheat the topping over low heat, just until the butter is fluid again, without further heavy browning. Divide the dumplings among four plates, about 12 per plate. Distribute the butter and breadcrumb topping evenly over the portions. Serve immediately.