Delicious pan-fried bacon, mushroom and spinach dumplings

This dish is delicious! With this recipe you’ll make about 50, which could allow you to have a dumpling party. This is a bit of a fiddly recipe but stick with me for a tasty snack at the end.

Makes 50

Ingredients

THE DOUGH

• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 cups plain flour, divided plus additional flour for surface

THE FILLING

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 150g bacon, chopped
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 500g mushrooms (use a mixture if you like for added texture and flavour)
• 10 cups spinach leaves, coarsely chopped

TO ASSEMBLE

• Corn starch
• Plain flour
• 1 large egg, beaten
• Salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, divided

Method

1. Whisk eggs, milk, sour cream, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a large bowl until combined. Add 3 3/4 cups flour and mix with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Knead in bowl with your hands until dough starts to stick together. Turn out dough to a work surface and continue to knead, adding 1/4 cup flour as needed if dough sticks to surface (you may not use all flour), until smooth and supple. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and cover with an overturned bowl or plastic wrap; let rest 1–2 hours.
2. Make the filling by heating oil in a medium skillet over a medium-low heat. Cook bacon, stirring often, until browned and crisp, 7–10 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl with a slotted spoon.
3. Return skillet to medium heat and cook shallot, stirring, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to bowl with bacon.
4. Bring skillet to medium-high heat and cook mushrooms, tossing occasionally, until browned and tender, 5–8 minutes. Add spinach in batches, tossing to wilt before adding more, and cook, stirring, until spinach is wilted and skillet is dry, 5–7 minutes. Transfer to bowl with bacon, toss to combine, and let cool.
5. Lightly dust 2 baking paper-lined rimmed baking sheets with corn starch and cover loosely with plastic.
6. Using a bench scraper or knife, divide dough into quarters. Place 1 piece on a lightly floured surface. Dust remaining pieces with flour and cover with plastic. Roll out dough to a thickness of less than 5mm, frequently lifting up dough to dust with flour to prevent sticking. Punch out circles with cutter. Gather dough scraps into a ball and set aside with other pieces of dough; keep covered in plastic.
7. Working with 1 round at a time, dip fingertips in egg wash and coat edges of round. Transfer about 1 tablespoon filling to 1 side of round. Grasp dough from opposite side and pull up and over filling, stretching slightly, pressing down to seal edges together, and creating a semicircle. Crimp rounded edge with tines of a fork that have been dipped in flour. Transfer to prepared baking sheet, tucking underneath plastic. Repeat with remaining rounds, filling, dough pieces, and, if needed, leftover dough scraps (you should have 50 total).
8. Working in batches, gently lower 6–8 dumplings into a large pot of boiling salted water with a spider or slotted spoon. Cook until wrinkly, slightly translucent, and floating, about 2 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon butter in a medium skillet over medium heat until it starts to brown. Using spider or slotted spoon, transfer dumplings directly from water to browned butter and cook, turning once, until golden brown and crisp on both sides, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate, drizzle with remaining butter in skillet, and season with salt. Repeat with remaining dumplings and butter.
10. Serve with caramelised onions and sour cream.