Stir fry Greens Dumplings

An Italian vibe to welcome Spring Greens

These delightful little dumplings are in essence Malfatti, a light and fluffy dumpling. Italian comfort food that is perfect for late march and the wonderfully pungent kick of mustard greens. 

Traditionally these dumplings are made with ricotta, but a soft goats cheese give a depth of flavour and complements the tangy bits of the various greens in the Sandy Lane stir fry mix. 

This recipe is just as at home with true spinach, wild nettles or a mix of any Spring time leafy greens. 

Serves 4
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
250g soft goats’ cheese
1 bag of SLF stir fry greens
1 egg
50g fine semolina
50g plain flour
70g grated hard strong cheese
Nutmeg and pepper to season

Sauce Ingredients:
30g rapeseed oil (Cotswold Gold)
 A pinch of chilli flakes
½ tsp fennel seeds
30g tomato puree
1 red onion, fine dice
500g tomato passata
1 tbs honey
Salt and pepper to season

1. The key to all dumpling/gnocchi style recipes is to remove excess moisture from any greens. The SLF stir fry mix is largely mustard greens which are low ng water so this is very easy. Heat a large pan with nothing in it, add the washed greens and stir until lightly wilted. Take off the heat immediately, remove from the pan and cool.

2. Once all the greens are cool enough to handle, squeeze as much water out as you can then roughly chop them altogether. Have another go at squeezing out any remaining liquid. It is easier to do this in small batches.

3. In a large bowl mix the cheeses, egg and greens together then add the semolina and flour. Give it a little taste and season with nutmeg and black pepper to your taste. Leave this to rest for 30 minutes covered in the fridge to allow the semolina and flour grains to swell.

4. Use this resting time to make the sauce. Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat to warm the rapeseed oil, then toast the chilli flakes and fennel seeds. Once they release their aroma add the tomato puree and fry for a few minutes until the colour slightly rusts. 

5. Once the puree has cooked add the red onion and continue to cook until they become translucent and slightly soft, drawing up the rusty colour. 

6. Pour in the tomato puree and honey then bring to a simmer. Leave on a low simmer to thicken which should take around 20 minutes.

7. In the meantime, shape and cook the dumplings. Bring a large pan of water to the boil with the lid on. 

8. To shape the dumplings, have a plate or tray dusted with semolina at the ready. Using wet hands and a dessert spoon, portion out the dumpling mix to make balls roughly 4cm in diameter, keeping the shaped ones on the plate while finishing the remaining mix. 

9. To cook the dumplings, add them all to the sauce pan in a heavy rolling boil. Once they float up to the surface they are cooked. Fish them out with a slotted spoon and put in the sauce ready to eat.

Serve with lots of crusty bread, more grated cheese and a drizzle of walnut oil.

Chef Notes:
1. Fennel seeds are easy to find towards the end of summer. Unmistakable aniseed aroma and tell tale dill like fronds. Pick once the seeds are dry and store in a jar for the coming year.
2. Any herbs are a welcome addition to this recipe. Simply chop and add to the dumpling mix with the greens.

Robin Popham
Chef at ‘Create Terroir’ and Sandy Lane Farm veg box customer