Koldunai ~ Lithuanian Meat Dumplings (And Bonus: Sour Cream Bacon Sauce recipe)

Koldunai

I've made about three types of Lithuanian Ravioli.  One was filled with a Beet & Ricotta mixture, another had an onion & mushroom filling, and this is one filled with meat.  They were each something I would do again.  Note- this picture shows an improper shape to my Koldunai.  Normally, the edges of the half circle raviolis meet together to make a tortellini like shape.

Noodle Ingredient:

3 Eggs

2 Tbsp Water

3 cups Flour

Meat Filling:

1/2 lb beef

1 pinch of salt

1 pinch of pepper

1/2 an onion

2 eggs

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Filling: beat the eggs with salt and pepper, and add chopped onion.

2. Prepare the Noodle Dough: 

       A. Make a mound of flour & make a well within the mound.  Pour 3 eggs and water and a pinch of salt into the well.  Beat the egg with a fork & start to incorporate the flour with the fork.  Incorporate as much as you can that way, then kneed it with your hands until it picks up most of the flour.  You may add more water (1 Tbsp at a time) as needed to incorporate the flour.  You will have a stiff, somewhat un-smooth, not very incorporated hunk of dough.  Form the dough into a log shape and cut it into about 1/4 cup portions.  

     B. Get out a pasta roller & put it at the thickest setting.  I like to put a plate with 1/4 cup flour at the end of the pasta roller so that I can dip it easily if the dough gets too sticky.  Roll a portion of dough through, dip it in the flour and fold it in half and run it through, repeat this process until the dough comes through smooth and not sticky or broken.  Then thin it out in the roller on the thinner settings.  I rolled mine out to the 1/7" setting.

3. Cut 3" circles into the dough and place a Tbsp of filling on each circle.  Seal the edges.  You can dip a finger in water & run it along the inside of the circle to help it seal.  Then, to make the proper shape, take the corners of the semicircle & pinch them together (sort of like Tortellini).

4. bring 3 quarts of water to a boil, pour in some salt, and drop the dumplings in.  cook them for about 5 minutes & they're done.

5. Serve hot, with onion and sour cream.

Note: Lithuanians have a great love of sour cream- I personally prefer a white sauce with onion, mushroom, Parmesan, &/or Bacon pieces.  You can also make a nice Bacon sour cream sauce by chopping up your bacon (about 2 pieces), then cooking it in a pan, then add some sour cream to the pan you cooked the bacon in, & heat thoroughly.  You can put this sauce on almost any Lithuanian dish- Kugelis, Zeppelinis, Koldunai, Kibinai,