Week #34: North Dakota - Fargo Knoephla Pizza

State:  North Dakota

When it comes to North Dakota, I had no idea what to do for this challenge.  All I know about ND is the movie Fargo and the University of North Dakota's mascot is the Bison.  A few years ago the mascot was changed from the "Fighting Sioux" to the Bison.  So when I started researching the food, I was anticipating Bison meat to be used somewhere.  I found out that Bison is actually more popular in South Dakota versus the northern state.  So after researching the state, I found out that there are a lot of Scandinavian, German, and Russian immigrants who settled here.  A popular Russian dish called Knoephla soup is very popular, so I made it a pizza.  I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

Soup:

1/4 cup butter, cubed

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/2 shallot, grated

1.5 cups milk

2 cups water

1 carton chicken broth or stock

Knoephla:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 egg, beaten

5 to 6 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

Minced fresh parsley, optional

Other:
1 Pizza Crust
1/2 cup of Mozzarella cheese
2 Bratwurst or Kielbasa sausages (diced into bite sized pieces)

Pasta:

Combine the first four Knoephla ingredients together forming a stiff dough. Roll into a 1/2-in. rope. Cut into 1/4-in. pieces.  I used rice flour for my wife who has an allergy to gluten.  If you also want to go gluten-free, try the same, but add canola oil to the rope on both sides. This will allow you to cut the rope without it tearing.  Set aside.

Soup:

In a large pan, melt the butter.  Then cook potatoes and onion for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Next, add the milk and cook through, but do not boil. Set aside. In a medium soup pot, bring water and chicken stock to a boil.  Once broth/water turns into a rolling boil, drop Knoephla into the pot.   Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Then add the potato mixture and heat through.  Set aside and allow to cool.

Meat:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cook on on both sides till temperature reaches 180 or higher.  I like to get mine right at 190 or 200 to cook thoroughly.  Make sure both sides are browned and remove from heat.  Allow to cool and then cut into bite sized pieces.

Pizza:

Preheat oven to 450.  Cook crust until slightly brown, which varies on pre-made and scratch.  Once crust is cooked, remove from heat and get ready to make your pizza.  With a ladle, reduce the amount of liquid and add onto the crust.  The liquid should cover the pizza, but not overflow off of the crust.  You do not want liquid running over the pizza in a hot stove or it will smoke up your house. Ensure that all of the ingredients in the soup are spaced out on the pizza. Add the sausage and a light layer of cheese.  Cook for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  Then, add the parsley and allow to cool before eating.  Enjoy! 

Pairing:

This pizza is great for the cold months, which is why they eat it in North Dakota and Russia. I was not able to find a beer from ND, so I just went with another brand.  I would go with a nice stout or Scotch or Bourbon-aged ale.  It would bring out the flavors in the soup.  For a wine, a full bodied red would be great.  Cheers! 

Learning Moments:

I really did not know what to expect, but the sausage helped bring out the flavors in this soup.  Also the fresh parsley with the cheese made it zing as well.  This was a great pizza, but I am not sure if I would order it in a restaurant.  I would recommend a few additions to give it a world of taste.  Maybe some onion or celery and some smoked cheddar would really enhance this.  Also, I would put more flavor into the Knoephla as well.  I could add some cheese into the dumpling.  It would make it really tasty.  This is definitely helping me grow as a amateur chef.  I love this challenge and insist you to try your own version of this pizza!!