I’m back from an unexpected hiatus, where I spent almost all of September, and a bit of October, writing and revising one of my novels. It’s set in 1989 Romania, so I’m able to feature a lot of the dishes on From Dill To Dracula within the story, which is an exciting meld of my two hobbies.

And, well, I’m back! I’m ready to kick off the fall season with fall colors, warm drinks, and these delicious plum dumplings otherwise known as Gomboti (pronounced gom-boat-ee) or Găluște cu Prune (pronounced gah-lou-sh-tay coo proon-ay). To me, everything about these scream fall, and after Milwaukee teased us with a little Summer in October, we’re back in fall temperatures and I’m ready to embrace everything that comes with it.

To be honest, we didn’t have these dumplings very often. I remember my grandma making them a couple of times, but that was enough to hook me. It has to have been at least a decade and a half since I’ve been able to savor the flavor (thanks for the writing tip, Ariana Grande).

By the way, my husband calls these Plumplings, which I don’t have a Romanian translation for, but I’m okay if you call these that, too 🙃

↓ Recipe below ↓

—But first, some pretty pictures—

Fall colors! 😍

Just a little bit of mise on place.

Trying something new out with GIFs to document some of these fun steps!

Making the dough.

Swirling the flour… I mean… forming the pieces.

Dumplin’s galore!

Dude, that plate became bluer as the day went on.

Plums on the outside, and one hidden on the inside!

Cooked and gooey. A Goldilocks kind of sweet; not too sweet, not to plain, juuust right 🙂

Print Recipe

Găluște cu Prune {Plum Dumplings}

Course

Dessert

Cuisine

Romanian

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

40 minutes

Passive Time

10 minutes

Servings

dumplings

Ingredients

• 4 russet potatoes
• 3 fresh plums
• 1 ½ cup breadcrumbs
• 7 tbsp butter
• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 tsp vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour

Course Dessert Cuisine Romanian Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 40 minutes Passive Time 10 minutes Servings dumplings Ingredients 4 russet potatoes 3 fresh plums 1 ½ cup breadcrumbs 7 tbsp butter ¾ cup powdered sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 4 tsp vegetable oil 2 eggs 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour

Instructions

1. Skin, cube and boil the potatoes until soft (approx. 15 minutes). How's that for the plot of an episode of CSI?
2. While the potatoes are doing their thing, clean, cut in half and remove the pit from the plums. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp of the powdered sugar. Set aside.
3. In a pan, melt down the butter and fry the breadcrumbs, remaining powdered sugar and vanilla until golden brown. It burns easily, so keep an eye on it during this step.
   
   Note: I used Panko breadcrumbs because it's all we had, but any will suffice.
4. Once the potatoes are soft, discard the water and, with a hand mixer, mash together with the vegetable oil. Allow to cool.
5. Combine mashed potatoes with the flour and eggs until it becomes a dough. As with any dough, if it's too sticky add in a little bit of flour; if it's too crumbly add in some water. Roll into a cylinder, and cut into pieces 1 to 1 ½ inches.
6. Take half (or a quarter, if you have a smaller section of dough) of a plum and try to wrap a cut section of the dough around it into a ball shape. This part can get a little tricky. Remember: Flour is your friend!
7. Once all dumplings have been formed, turn the pot of water down to a low boil. Depending on the size of your pot you may be able to get all 10 in at once; others might have to repeat this step in two batches. The main point is to now crowd the dumplings. Boil for approximately 20 minutes.
8. You'll know they're done when they begin to float. Don't worry, some of the plum juice might sneak out while you're moving them. Remove from the water and immediately dredge through the breadcrumb mixture. They should be just sticky enough to get a nice thin coating.
9. Served warm and Se bucura/enjoy!
   
   {After The Recipe} If you have leftover sugary breadcrumbs, don't throw them away just yet, try making Crackly Pancakes or Waffles! Add them to your favorite batter recipe and cook like normal. You can even sprinkle some on the top 🙂

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♥ La Revedere