Potato Cepelinai Food

POTATO CEPELINAI

Steps:

• For the potatoes:.
• Put the grated potatoes into a large piece of fine-mesh cheesecloth or smooth kitchen towel, grabbing corners together to form a pouch. Wring the towel over a bowl, straining the excess liquid from the grated potatoes through the cloth, squeezing firmly with your hands until the potatoes are as dry as possible. Put the potatoes into a mixing bowl. Reserve the liquid. Let the starch settle to the bottom of the bowl of liquid, then pour the liquid off; add the starch back to the potatoes. Mash the boiled potatoes or run them through a ricer, and then add to the grated ones. Add the eggs and a dash of salt and knead well.
• For the meat:.
• Combine the beef, pork, salt, pepper and garlic in a bowl. Mix well with your hands. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
• For cooking the cepelinai:.
• Bring a large wide pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, roll about 1-cupful of the potato mixture into a ball with your hands. Gently flatten it into a 1/2-inch-thick round patty. Place 1/4 cup of the meat mixture into the center of the potatoes. Cup your hands together to seal the potato into a football shape, gently forming into an oval. Repeat forming more cepelinais with the remaining potato and meat mixtures.
• Gently slip the cepelinai into the boiling water, allowing the water to return to a boil before the next dumpling is added. Do not overcrowd the cepelinai in the pot. Stir carefully and occasionally. Boil until the dumplings are translucent and the meat is cooked through, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the dumplings using a slotted spoon, drain and place on a heated platter.
• For the bacon sauce:.
• Cook the bacon and onions in a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until the onions are lightly browned. Pour off some of the excess fat. For richer gravy, stir the sour cream carefully into the bacon-onion mixture. Blend well but do not boil. You can also serve the sour cream on the side. Spoon the bacon and onions over the cepelinais and serve.

TINGINIO CEPELINAI (CHEESE DUMPLINGS) - LITHUANIAN

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine the cheese, farina, potato starch, egg and salt. I first stir with a spoon, but then knead it right in the bowl with my hand, to ensure that everything is thoroughly mixed. Cover and let it stand while you make the filling. (Letting it stand about 10 or 15 minutes lets the farina hydrate and I think makes the dough hold together better).
• Saute the onion in the oil in a small saucepan until translucent.
• Add to the remaining filling ingredients in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly.
• Divide into four portions and form into small sausage shapes. Cover.
• Sprinkle two or three tablespoons of potato starch onto a large plate and set aside.
• Fill 2 or 3 quart saucepan with water, add salt, and bring to a boil while making the dumplings.
• Divide the dough into four portions - I do this right in the bowl, just cutting through it with a knife.
• Dampen your hands with cool water before forming each dumpling. Take one portion of the dough and flatten it on the palm of one hand into an oval.
• Place on portion of the filling onto the dough and form the dough around it into an oval shape - it's important to make the exterior very smooth, without any cracks or seams - this will keep them dumplings from splitting as they cook.
• Place the dumpling onto the potato-starch-sprinkled plate and roll it around to dredge in the starch.
• Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
• When they are all done, carefully place each dumpling into the pot of boiling water. They should fit without crowding or overlapping. If there is any potato starch left on the plate, just scrape it right into the water, as well.
• Let the water return to a boil and reduce it to a slow boil - more than a simmer, but not a full out boil.
• Cook for about 10 minutes after it returns to a boil.
• While these cook, make the sauce.
• Chop the bacon and saute it in a small saucepan.
• As it starts to get translucent, add the mushrooms and butter, and saute until cooked through.
• Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon, plate and cover with sauce.
• Note1: "Varske" is what we call farmers' cheese in Lithuanian. Tvarog is widely available in many places and is essentially the same. You want to use one that is whole milk or made from not less than 2% milk. Leaner cheese will not hold together as well - probably you would need more potato starch.
• Note2: The mushrooms are not traditional in the sauce, but I like them, and that way I am not using as much bacon. However, you can serve with just melted butter and sour cream, or any similar sauce that you might have in your files. To reduce calories, you can just saute some mushrooms and perhaps have a little sour cream on the side.
• Note3: I've made this with both ground beef and ground pork. I intend to make a cheese filling also, and I think a mushroom filling would also be very good, if you want to keep this vegetarian.
• Note on Servings: We will eat two each, with that making up our entire meal. If you serve with soup, some veggies, etc., in a more usual fashion, you can probably serve 3 or 4 people.
• Cheese filling: Take about 4 ounces of the farmers' cheese and place in a small bowl. Add the minced green top of one scallion, a pinch of salt and about 1 tbl of cooked minced bacon (I just take from the sauce). You might need a little of the bacon grease to help mix it together. Minced mint or tarragon is traditional, but I had none. I mixed it well and divided into six sections. I then divided the dough into six sections. Cheese filled dumplings are traditionally smaller. Make then as above, but form them into round balls - again, the shape is traditional when using a cheese filling. They will take a minute or two less to cook.