If you are looking for a hearty and satisfying dish from Lithuania, you might want to try cepelinai, the national dish of this Baltic country.
If you ask any Lithuanian about traditional Lithuanian meal, most likely they will answer “cepelinai” (zeppelins) and invite you to restaurant to taste them.
Well, cepelinai are good, but… but actually cepelinai is just our trick to distract attention of foreigner from truly Lithuanian meal.
Cepelinai are named after zeppelins, the German airships, because of their oval shape and large size.
What are Cepelinai?
Cepelinai are potato dumplings stuffed with spiced ground meat, cheese or mushrooms, and served with a creamy sauce and crispy bacon bits.
Cepelinai are made from two types of potatoes: raw and cooked.
The raw potatoes are peeled and grated, then squeezed in a cheesecloth to remove the excess water and starch.
The cooked potatoes are peeled, boiled and riced.
The raw potatoes are mixed with the reserved starch, salt and cornstarch to form a dough.
The cooked potatoes are used to make the filling, which can be either ground meat, cheese or mushrooms.
The meat filling is usually a mix of pork, beef and veal, seasoned with onion, salt, pepper and egg.
The cheese filling is made from dry curd cheese (also known as farmer’s cheese), which is similar to cottage cheese but firmer and less moist.
The mushroom filling is made from chopped mushrooms sautéed with onion, salt and pepper.
How to Shape Cepelinai
To shape the cepelinai, you need to take a handful of potato dough and flatten it on your palm.
Then, place a spoonful of filling in the center and wrap the dough around it, sealing the edges well.
You should end up with a smooth oval dumpling that resembles a zeppelin.
Repeat with the remaining dough and filling until you have used them all.
You can make the cepelinai as big or as small as you like, but traditionally they are about 10 to 20 cm long.
Cooking Instructions
To cook the cepelinai, you need to bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Carefully drop the dumplings into the boiling water and simmer them for about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on their size.
They are done when they float to the surface and the potato dough is cooked through.
You can test one by cutting it open and checking if the filling is cooked as well.
Serving Cepelinai
To serve the cepelinai, you need to make a sauce and some bacon bits.
The sauce is made from sour cream mixed with milk and seasoned with salt and pepper.
The bacon bits are made from diced bacon fried in a skillet until crisp.
You can also use pork rinds instead of bacon for extra crunch.
To plate the cepelinai, spoon some sauce over them and sprinkle some bacon bits on top.
Enjoy them while they are hot and tender.
Cepelinai: A Taste of Lithuania
Cepelinai are a delicious and filling dish that showcases the simplicity and richness of Lithuanian cuisine.
They are perfect for cold winter days or special occasions.
They are also a great way to use up leftover potatoes or cheese.