Schupfnudel

A family favorite from my Grandma Barbara Wurth  (Grandma Loni’s mother)

A Family Tradition

Since we were kids in the 1940's,  it was our family holiday tradition (Christmas, Thanksgiving and birthdays) to  have chicken and schupfnudel with some vegetables for the meal.  Grandma Barbara always made the schupfnudel.  Grandpa Gus always claimed to help.  We tend to believe he did more kibitzing than helping.  She was making a favorite food for her eight (Palkovic) grandchildren.  When the Massals were in town, there were another three grandchildren.  We were all good eaters.  The six adults liked them, too.  She always made a lot, but there were never any leftovers.

In Schenectady, NY

When Grandma couldn't make schupfnudel  anymore,  Loni's team took over.  Whoever was living on Broadway then, pitched in to make the job a little less overwhelming.  All of Loni's grandchildren love schupfnudel, too. 

All of us Palkovic children continued this tradition at certain times in our families. 

The first time Pauline brought Paul to Easter dinner, we celebrated at our home in Glenville. David and I made schupfnudel.  Paul loves family traditions and good food, so he was wonderful company to share our festivities with.

Overtime, in Schenectady, they were not a  "must have" food on our holiday table.  But, schupfnudel is not just for holidays.  I often make a small batch to serve with beef stew when I invite a few guests for dinner.  It's always a hit.

I believe all the other Wurth families had schupfnudel, too,   One time at Kaffeeklatch (probably in the 80's) people were asking for a recipe.  My mother had written one out for me years before, so I had it.  I typed it out and passed it around.

Grandma Barbara's hometown, they are still making schupfnudel, too. 
When Fritz Stäckler (Grandma Barbara's nephew from Germany) came to visit us in the early 1990's, he wanted to make a traditional food for us. It was schupfnudel. His recipe was a little different. He used farina instead of flour, so they had a harder consistency and a different flavor. They were also good.

I wonder if the other Stäckler families in Germany have a schupfnudel tradition.
 

In San Diego, CA

By the time I moved to California [1998], a schufpnudel party a day or two before the holiday was a tradition in full swing.  Joe was feeding 25 or 35 people at his Thanksgiving table in those days.  I suspect that for  years, Joe, like his Grandma, was the chief schupfnudel maker.

It would be fun to have some of the San Diego family include some of their thoughts and memories here. 

My dream is that someday this site will be interactive and the "cyber generation"  will read and add their comments.

Meanwhile, I can post your input, if you send me an email.

A Favorite Memory

One of my favorite memories was in the late 1990's before we moved to California.  Laura and Nancy  wanted to learn how to make schupfnudel.  I baked the potatoes the night before and made my favorite beef stew recipe.  We invited a bunch of people over.  We grated, mixed, boiled, fried and ate together.  What a great time we had !

Preparing	Dining
Counterclockwise:  Thelma , Laura , Jessica , Nancy , Penny , Barbara.	Add Tom, Red , Dave

Here's the Recipe, if you want to try making schupfnudel.

5 pounds Idaho baking potatoes or Russett potatoes

3 cups flour

5 eggs

1 large onion, grated or finely chopped

1 tablespoon salt

¼ cup fresh, chopped parsely (1 to 2 tablespoons of dried parsley)

Cook / Cool / Roll

• Boil the potatoes in the skins until they are soft.

• Cool potatoes. I often cook the potatoes the night before so they have plenty of time to cool.

• Peel and coarsely grate the potatoes.

• Add eggs, onion and salt. Mix well.

• Add flour. Mix well.

• Roll into schupfnudel.

  • Use flour sparingly when rolling. I find that cold dough rolls easier. I start with refrigerator cold potatoes and then keep part of the dough in the refrigerator while I’m rolling some. In sizing, remember that they expand a little when boiled-—about 1/4 to 1/3.

  • Grandma (Tante) Barbara used to make a roll of dough about 8” long and the cut off pieces to roll into each schupf nudel. This works well for me, but I can never achieve the speed with which she did it. Schupfnudels are fragile and have to be handled carefully.  (Add another cup or two of flour for less fragile schupfnudel.)

Boil / Drain / Fry

• Boil a small batch at a time in a large kettle of boiling water. When they rise to the top let them boil another 15 seconds or longer.

• Remove them carefully with a slotted spoon and put them in cold water.

• After three to five minutes, remove them from the cold water to a colander where they can drain.

• Line them up on a tray or cookie sheet where they can stay until you are ready to fry them.

  • Again, I do this the day before I plan to serve them. I cool them in the refrigerator or in the garage (where space is much more plentiful).

• Fry in hot grease on both sides until golden brown.

  • We always had this with chicken or turkey, but I like to serve it with any roast or stew, too.

Make a smaller batch.

This is a large batch--holiday size for hearty eaters. It is not so overwhelming if you make a smaller batch. I figure one pound of potatoes for two people for reasonable servings. 

Let me know how this works out for you. Enjoy!

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