STUFFING x KNÖDEL x TURKEY BROTH

the hottest Thanksgiving leftover collab in town

The best part of Thanksgiving (for those who practice), is arguably the opportunity to experiment with leftovers the next day without your aunt asking when you’re finally getting married or your uncle’s dubious political rants. Ideally, it’s just you and the fridge, a treasure trove of leftover delights, with turkey slices, stuffing, and cranberry sauce patiently waiting to be reinvented to your heart’s desire. Though Thanksgiving sandwiches have long reigned as the go-to way to repurpose your leftovers, I’m thrilled to report there’s a new sheriff in town, prolonging the holiday by lingering on the taste buds and warming the heart: stuffing knödel in turkey broth.

For the non-Americans out there: Wikipedia defines stuffing as “an edible mixture, often composed of herbs and a starch such as bread, used to fill a cavity in the preparation of another food item.” In this case, stuffing is used to fill the turkey - though many prefer to cook it in a separate tray (because of hygiene, etc.)

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 100g bread cubes (Semmelwürfel*)

• 150g leftover stuffing

• 150ml milk

• 2 eggs

• 1 shallot (peeled + chopped)

• 1 red onion (peeled + chopped)

• 1 handful parsley (chopped)

• 2 tb butter

• 2 tb flour

• For the broth, I loosely followed this recipe. If you already threw away your turkey bones, use any broth you like!

• Pumpkin seed oil, to drizzle over the soup

• Chopped chives, to sprinkle over the soup

*For those of you outside of Germany/Austria, Semmelwürfel might not be super accessible. But do not fret! They’re an easy DIY. Semmeln are white bread rolls - to make them into Semmelwürfel (bread-roll-cubes), you just have to slice them into 1cm slices, then cut those slices into 1cm cubes. Easy peasy!

Instructions

Step 1

Whisk the eggs with the milk, then pour over the bread cubes and mix well.

Add in the stuffing (forgot to photograph this part) and stir to combine, then set aside.

Step 2

Heat up the butter in a pan, then add in the chopped shallot and red onion and sauté until translucent, about 5-10 minutes, stirring often. Once softened, add the chopped parsley.

Step 3

Add all of the cooked ingredients to the bowl, mix well, then stir in the flour and let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes.

Step 4

KNÖDEL TIME: I used an ice cream scoop to dose them and then used my hands to roll the dough into balls.

Step 5

Heat up the butter in a pan, and fry the dumplings for about 10 minutes on medium heat, turning a few times.

Step 6

Pop the knödel into a bowl of hot broth, and top with pumpkin seed oil and chopped chives. The knödel can also be enjoyed on their own, in a pool of butter, or over salad.