They are called “kluski kładzione”, which translates as “laid dumplings” (more or less) because we “lay” them onto the water (that’s why the lack of uniformity). Language is like a window into another world, therefore my tendency is always to try and explain, yet often translating Polish to English makes very little sense. The way that these languages are formed and used, the imagery surrounding them, the associations… they really are like two different planets.

Here are those dumplings replacing potatoes or rice with a dinner of lamb and cucumber salad. They are fantastic with any kind of sauce or gravy…

And here they are again, showing off their versatility as a pudding, fried on some butter with a dash of cinnamon and a spoonful of honey

300g plain flour

2 eggs

Pinch of salt

Water

Blend these ingredients together, by hand of in a blender, to create a batter that’s similar to pancake batter but much thicker and stickier – this batter does not come off the spoon easily. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Take a spoon and put it in a cup of freshly boiled water for about 3min. Use the spoon to take a bit of the batter and place it into the water. You need to do this quickly and efficiently, yet without splash back. You may need to cook them in two batches. When they swim to the top, give them a couple of minutes extra and remove