bread and watercress dumplings in broth

gnocchi di pane e crescione in brodo

6 servings

The flavorful dumplings for this broth are easy to make using leftover bread. If you only have very fresh bread, dry it out in a very low oven for a few minutes to mimic bread that's a couple days old.

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Ingredients

1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
8 ounces 2-day-old french bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 pound watercress, coarse stems discarded
2 tablespoons freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 1/2-inch cubes fontina cheese
Unbleached all-purpose flour or plain bread crumbs
6 cups homemade Capon Broth or Meat Broth

Instructions

In a bowl, whisk together milk and eggs; add bread cubes. Using your hands, knead the liquid into the bread until fully absorbed. Let mixture rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add watercress and cook for 5 minutes; drain, thoroughly squeeze out water and finely chop.

Add watercress, Grana Padano, salt and generous pinch pepper to bread mixture; stir well to combine. Form mixture into 6 balls, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter (you will have leftover bread mixture), then press fontina into balls, reshaping (be sure that fontina is in center and not exposed to edges). Balls should hold together well and not be loose or sticky; flour or bread crumbs can be added to help firm, if necessary.

Bring a wide, heavy pot of salted water to a low boil. Add balls and cook until puffed, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, gently transfer dumplings to serving bowls.

In a medium saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Ladle broth over dumplings and serve immediately.

December 2009