Breakfast & Desserts

Russian Monday; “Lenivie Vareniki” – “Lazy” Vanilla Ricotta Dumplings with Whole Wheat Flour

“Lazy” dumplings (or “le-nee-vye va-re-nee-kee” in Russian) are gnocchi-shaped dumplings made by mixing ricotta cheese or farmer cheese with egg and white/wheat flour into a quick dough. It is an easier version for people who don’t have time to make stuffed dumplings. These are great for breakfast and my mom used to make them for me many times. They can be served in many ways, for example – with sweet sauce, berries, and cream. If you like to have a savory version, add shredded cheese, fresh green peas and serve them with melted butter or even tomato sauce. I used whole wheat flour for my recipe, but you are welcome to use all-purpose flour, that way your dumplings will come out whiter and lighter.

For more Russian recipes, visit Russian Cuisine page.

ricotta cheese and egg and lemon
the dough

"Lenivie Vareniki" - "Lazy" Vanilla Ricotta Dumplings with Whole Wheat Flour

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Serves: 2

Ingredients

  • 2 cups ricotta
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 Tbsp. vanilla sugar
  • lemon zest from one lemon
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour plus more for coating
  • 2 Tbsp. semolina flour
  • pinch of salt plus salt for water
  • To serve:
  • sour cream or whipped cream
  • strawberry syrup or your favorite jam, the sour cherry sauce would be great also
  • melted butter
  • fresh mint leaves

Instructions

1

In a medium bowl combine the ricotta cheese, flours (whole wheat & semolina), egg, vanilla sugar, lemon zest, salt using spoon, or fork. If your dough is too sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. The dough should be soft, but not tough. Divide the dough into two.

2

On a well-floured surface, form two cylinders/rolls and cut them into 1/2 inch pieces.

3

In the medium saucepan bring the salty water to boil. Carefully throw the vareniki one by one in water. Cook for 3-4 minutes after they float on top.

4

Drain the water and transfer the vareniki to the serving plates. Serve with sour cream, jam or berry sauce.

Notes

You need to drain ricotta cheese before start cooking the dumplings, that way you'll use less flour. There is an effective method to drain ricotta: take a fine-meshed strainer and line it with cheesecloth. Place the strainer over a bowl and cover the whole set-up with plastic wrap. Place a plate over the ricotta and then place a weight, like a can of food, on the plate. Put the whole thing in your refrigerator and let it sit for a few hours or overnight. Discard the liquid. If you need to cook the dumplings the same day, just place the ricotta in the center of the cheesecloth and collect the ends of the cloth to form a bundle. Squeeze as much water out of the ricotta as you can.

“Lenivie Vareniki” – “Lazy” Russian Vanilla Ricotta Dumplings with Whole Wheat Flour
“Lenivie Vareniki” – “Lazy” Russian Vanilla Ricotta Dumplings with Whole Wheat Flour
“Lenivie Vareniki” – “Lazy” Russian Vanilla Ricotta Dumplings with Whole Wheat Flour

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6 Comments

  • Reply
    Rosa's Yummy Yums
    May 4, 2015 at 12:30 pm

    Lovely dumplings! So comforting.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  • Reply
    La Table De Nana
    May 4, 2015 at 12:48 pm

    At this time of year I love seeing what's blooming there too:)

  • Reply
    Anonymous
    May 4, 2015 at 6:05 pm

    These look really interesting Yelena. I am going to try making them for Stevie-boy. Thank you for sharing another wonderful recipe with us all 🙂

  • Reply
    Medeja
    May 5, 2015 at 8:02 am

    We used to make it with cottage cheese..and I used to have a lot of of these 😀 Yummy!

  • Reply
    Angie Schneider
    May 5, 2015 at 9:35 am

    They look fantastic! Gorgeous clicks, Yelena.

  • Reply
    handmade by amalia
    May 6, 2015 at 2:23 pm

    That first photo is a work of art! And I don't just mean the dumplings 🙂
    Amalia
    xo

  • Leave a Reply

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