Germans From Russia - Kase Knepfla (CheeseButtons)

Reddig Family Recipe for Kase Knoephla/Knephla ( Cheese Buttons)

Anyone who has spent more than 10 minutes on this forum knows that I may have mentioned once or twice ( ) that my ancestors originated in Alsace and the Black Forest area of Germany, then migrated to Ukraine in the Russian Empire for a few generations, then finally emigrated to the USA - Dunn County, North Dakota, to be specific. As such, they (and I) are members of a group called "Germans from Russia), and have a somewhat unique food culture of their own; a melding of the foodways from the lands in which they lived and traveled. You can, of course, read more about the Germans From Russia, here:

http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/germans-from-russia-in-the-dakotas_topic4336.html

My father's sister married a man with a very similar German-from-Russia background, and this is his mother's recipe for Kase Knoephla (also spelled Knepfla, among many other variations); these are also known among Germans-from-Russia descendants as "Cheese Buttons."



My cousin, Penny, recently sent this recipe to me, and I will be giving it a go, after Lent; however, I did want to share it with you all in the event that anyone might want to give it a try.

Kase Knepfla From the Kitchen of Ruth Reddig Dough: 3 to 3.5 cups of flour 1 teaspoon salt One egg (white*), beaten 1.25 cups (warm*) water Baking powder (unspecified amount; not much)* Filling (makes enough for 2 dough recipes*): 3 cups dry cottage cheese 2 beaten eggs 1 scant tablespoon of salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 small onion, minced (optional*) *Asterisk denotes slight modifications or notes made by the family over the years. Mix dough all together and knead well. Divide dough into 2 balls. Roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into 4-inch squares. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of cheese mixture in center of square. Fold over and press edges. Be sure to seal them tightly. Bring 4 cups or more water to boil in large kettle. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Add Kase Knepfla and bring to boil. Boil about 5 to 10 minutes until they are done. Drain off and put Kase Knepfla layers in a bowl and put buttered bread crumbs in between which have been browned in butter. Good with sour cream - real dairy cream.

Also, here are some notes that my cousin, Penny, included in her email:

Penny wrote: Here is our knoephla (cheese buttons) recipe. This was a Seibold/Reddig tradition...mostly Seibold, which are German-Russian, but Dad said it's an all-German thing. However, Ron [Penny’s Husband]'s mom came from Germany and never heard of them. We do have a friend out east however who is German ancestry and she has had them. 1 fillings recipe is enough for 2 dough recipes. We didn't put in baking powder, sometimes they do but I don't know how much...not a lot. We don't cut into 4-inch squares. Mom and Dad use a round cutter...3 to 4 inches, again I'm guessing, and then they used a melon baller/scoop for the insides...and cover with another circle. Use warm water to meld them together. I should add...we don't use the bread crumbs, just use melted butter on top. [In the picture,] Ron [Penny’s Husband] rolled them so they were a little less than 1/4" thick. You'll know if you are too thin or too thick. We always have sausage with them too, and some people...NOT me...have sauerkraut. Good luck trying them.

As mentioned above, I’ll be trying them, and soon; my “must-try” recipe list is starting to get pretty long, but due to the family connection, these will be tried as soon as possible.

I am hoping that Brook will be able to expand a bit on the "dry" cottage cheese. I have absolutely no experience with it, but I have seen it in one grocery store in Lewistown, Montana, so I know it exists. I am going to try and get my hands on some when I try this; if I am unable to get some, I’ll look at possible substitutions.

If anyone wants to try this, I'd be really interested in how it goes!

Ron