Cottage Cheese buttons?

[heysailer]

My German ancestors from the Ukraine/Moldova (Bessarabia and the Crimea) made a wonderful (dry-curd) cottage cheese filled dumpling we called "Kaeseknueple". These were usually boiled, like the Italian raviolli, but way bigger. My mom served them with a cream (white) sauce and fried bread croutons!! I think the filling was simple; dry-curd cottage cheese, egg, salt, pepper and chives. Oh, my mouth waters just thinking about them! I once read a Mennonite cookbook from South Russia, and the closest I found there were called "Verinikje" or something like that, I can't remember the correct spelling.

I doubt that these are traditional German foods from the old country, but I may be wrong??

Tell me what you think!

John from Minneapolis, MN, USA

[Kathy]

Welcome to the board, John. I can post a recipe for varenyky (pyrohy in parts of Ukraine), but I don't know if you will find good cottage cheese. My Grandmother, God rest her soul, used to make cottage cheese varenyky as well. However, she only used curds she bought directly from farmers. Those available in the market (dry curd cottage cheese, mixed with egg, sugar, vanilla) don't give the same taste -they're bitter. So, I don't know if they'll be the same as you remember them, but if you want a full recipe, let me know.