Evie Harbury’s strawberry dumplings recipe

This is my favourite Czech dish, and I do not say that lightly,” says Evie Harbury. “These dumplings are a delicious reminder that some of the best things in life come wrapped in dough.

“Here, juicy strawberries are encased in a soft dumpling dough, then served drizzled with melted butter and dusted with icing sugar on a bed of jammy berry sauce.

“A unique attribute of Central European cuisine is the concept of a sweet main course. Although I am featuring these fruit dumplings as a dessert here, they would typically be served as the main dish in a Czech household or pub, particularly for children or those who are still young at heart.

“Tvaroh is a Czech curd cheese, similar to cottage cheese.”

Strawberry Dumplings (Jahodové knedlíky)

Ingredients:
(Serves 4)

350g cottage cheese or soft tvaroh (‘měkký’)
1 large egg, plus 1 yolk
200g semola flour or fine semolina, plus extra for rolling
12 strawberries, hulled

For the strawberry sauce:
250g strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped
50g icing sugar

To serve:
80g hard tvaroh (‘tvrdý’), crumbled (optional)
80g unsalted butter, melted
100g icing sugar

Method:

1. Press the cottage cheese or soft tvaroh through a sieve into a large bowl to purée it and remove any lumps. Add the egg and extra yolk and mix, then stir in the semola flour and mix again until fully combined.

2. Divide the dough into 12 equal-sized pieces and roll each piece into a little ball. Dust your hands with some semola flour. Take one of the dough balls and flatten it in the palm of your hand, then place a hulled strawberry in the centre.

3. Bring the dough together around the sides of the strawberry and roll into a ball to completely encase the strawberry. If you have a hole, don’t worry – you can just patch it up, as the dough is very forgiving. Place on a plate dusted with more semola flour to avoid sticking. Repeat with the remaining doughballs.

4. Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Carefully lower the dumplings into the pan and boil for seven to nine minutes (depending on the size of your strawberries), then drain.

5. Meanwhile, make the strawberry sauce by combining the chopped strawberries and icing sugar in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Cook for a couple of minutes until the strawberries begin to break down slightly (this will take two to three minutes longer if the strawberries are less ripe). Keep warm until you’re ready to serve.

6. To serve, divide the strawberry sauce between four bowls, then place three dumplings in each one. Top with crumbled hard tvaroh, if using, then drizzle the melted butter on top and finish with dusting of icing sugar.

These dumplings can be filled with different fruit in different seasons. Blueberries, plums and apricots are all delicious inside dough.

My Bohemian Kitchen by Evie Harbury is published by Murdoch Books, priced £20. Available now