🇮🇹 Italian · Pasta
🥟 Strangolapreti Trentini
Strangolapreti
Trentino's spinach and bread dumplings, dressed simply in browned butter and sage, their playful name meaning 'priest chokers' — said to reference how eagerly clergy devoured them.
Similar to Alto Adige's canederli but shaped into small ovals rather than round balls, strangolapreti lean more heavily on spinach and stale bread as their base, and the legend behind the name suggests local priests loved them so much they risked choking from eating too quickly.
Ingredients
Equipment: Large mixing bowl, Large pot
- 300 g (10.5 oz) spinach, blanched and finely chopped
- 200 g (7 oz) stale bread, cubed and soaked in milk
- 2 eggs
- 80 g (1 cup) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
- 60 g (½ cup) 00 flour, plus more for shaping
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 80 g (⅓ cup) unsalted butter
- Fresh sage leaves
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
- Squeeze the blanched spinach thoroughly to remove excess water.
- Squeeze the milk-soaked bread lightly, leaving it moist but not dripping.
- Combine the spinach, bread, eggs, Parmigiano, flour, and nutmeg into a firm, shapeable mixture, adding more flour if too wet.
- Season well and let rest for 20 minutes.
- With floured hands, shape the mixture into small ovals, about the size of a large egg.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle simmer and cook the dumplings for 8–10 minutes until they float and are cooked through.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter with sage until fragrant and lightly browned.
- Drain the dumplings and toss gently in the sage butter.
- Serve immediately with extra Parmigiano.
Chef Tips
- Squeeze both the spinach and bread thoroughly — excess moisture is the most common cause of dumplings falling apart.
- Shaping into ovals rather than perfect rounds is traditional for strangolapreti, distinguishing them visually from canederli.
- Simmer gently rather than boiling vigorously, which can break the delicate dumplings apart.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Not squeezing the spinach or bread enough, resulting in a mixture too wet to hold its shape.
- Boiling too vigorously, risking the dumplings breaking apart in the pot.
- Skipping the resting time, which helps the mixture firm up enough to shape properly.
Nutrition (per serving)
Health Benefits
- Spinach provides iron, fiber, and vitamins A and K.
Cultural Note
Strangolapreti's playful name, meaning 'priest chokers,' reflects an enduring local legend about clergy so fond of these dumplings they ate them too quickly.
Storage & Serving
Storage: Refrigerate cooked dumplings for up to 2 days.
Reheating: Reheat gently in a pan with a little butter.
Serve with: Extra Parmigiano, A light white wine from Trentino