Buckwheat blood dumplings stuffed with mushrooms

I’ll admit it, this is a weird recipe, somewhere between ravioli, russian pelmeni and gyoza. Just…With extra blood. They are a bit time consuming to make but definitely worth the effort as they only take a couple minutes to fry. Make a big batch (double or triple the amounts in this post) and keep them in the freezer for a quick lunch.

They go wonderfully well with steamed vegetables, parsnip or celery root puree, or simply some rice.

Buckwheat and blood dumplings with mushroom filling and steamed broccoli. Served with a parsley sour cream sauce.

Ingredients (for 4)

Dough :

120 g buckwheat flour
120 g spelt flour (Alternatively : rye, or all-purpose), plus more to dust.
80ml blood
1 tbsp sour cream
salt
pinch of nutmeg

Filling :

500gr mixed mushrooms, chopped finely (porcini, white..)
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp marjoram, dried (optional)
3 Tbsp tablespoons mead (sweet beer or white wine)
1 tsp wine vinegar (optional)
2 Tbsp cream
Salt and pepper

Parsley cream :

150g sour cream (kefir, buttermilk or yoghurt also work)
Generous amount of finely chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced or grated

Method:

For the dough:

In a bowl, put together the buckwheat and spelt flours, add some salt and pepper to taste, and the pinch of nutmeg.
Make a well and slowly pour the blood. Start by adding little at once and combine the flour to make a dough. Knead lightly until it does not stick to the bowl anymore. Cover with cling film and let rest in a fridge for about 20 minutes.
After resting the dough will become easier to work with. Knead for a couple more minutes to get a uniform mixture. If after resting the dough still sticks to your hands, add a little more flour.
Take about 1/4th of the dough, roll it out into a thin sheet. Using a small glass, cut into 5-6cm circles. Take the scraps, make into a ball again and repeat the procedure until all the dough is cut. (Or use the extra dough to make pasta.)

Filling:

Melt the butter in a large skillet set over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until they start to caramelize, about 3 minutes.
Add the marjoram, season with salt and pepper then add the mead and cook until most of the alcohol evaporates, about 4-5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
In a medium bowl, put the cream and fold in the mushrooms. Add the wine vinegar. Put aside.

If mushrooms aren’t quite your thing, replace them with minced beef.

Making the dumplings :

Divide your dough into two and make it into balls.
Take your dough ball and roll it out on a well floured surface in a thin sheet approximately 0,4cm thickness. Keep the rest of the dough covered to avoid drying out.
Cut out circles with a glass or circle. Put a teaspoon of meat filling into each skin, slightly off-centre. Wet the edges of the circle slightly, cover the filling with the upper part of the circle of dough and start sealing from center working your way down each side to create a half-moon shape. Pinch the edges shut with your fingertips. You can also sightly twist the edge using your thumb and fingers to form a ruffled edge. (I feel it secures the filling a little better inside the dumplings)
Repeat with the remaining dough circles until you run out of dough and meat.
Freeze any extra dumplings in an air-tight container lined with baking paper to prevent sticking.

Cook :

Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add all the dumplings that will fit in the pan without touching each other an cook on one side, then the other, until both sides are a little crisped, about 1 minute for each side.
Increase heat to medium-high, add half a cup of water and put the lid on. Let the dumplings steam for 3-4 minutes (5-6 minutes if frozen), then remove lid.
Cook the dumplings uncovered until they are nice and crisp again.
Transfer to a plate and serve with sour cream mixed with minced garlic (or garlic powder) and fresh parsley.

Notes and Tips:

The dumpling skins can be prepared in advance and keep them in the freezer, stacked with a piece of baking paper between each to prevent them from sticking. Just take them out when you need them and allow for 15-20 minutes or so for them to thaw.

If preparing them fresh, keep them covered while you work on the filling to prevent them from drying out.

Not a fan of mushrooms? Try them with minced beef, red onions, shallots, beer and tarragon.

Don’t have any buckwheat? You can replace the fancy grains with simple all-purpose flour. Just add a little less blood, as buckwheat tends to drink up a lot.

The first time I tried this recipe, I threw the dumplings in the steamer for a few minutes, but this step is actually not necessary. If your skins are thin enough, they’ll cook perfectly in the pan.