Cheese Buttons (Kase Knoeflas)

1 cup flour
1/3 cup milk
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups dry curd cottage cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix flour, salt, one whole egg, and the white of another with the milk to make dough.  The dough should be easy to handle.  Let it rest, covered, for 15 minutes.  Mix the cheese with one whole egg and the yolk of another, salt, and pepper to taste.  Divide the dough into fourths.  Roll each piece into an oblong and cut into four inch squares.  Put one or two large tablespoons of cheese mixture on square, fold over to make triangle and press edges with fork to seal.  In a large kettle, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil.  Add 1 tsp. salt, some sliced onion, and 1 Tbsp. butter.  Add the knepfels, one at a time.  Stir gently.  When they rise to the top they are done (about 5 minutes).  Drain well, and either pour browned bread crumbs over them or drain, rinse in cold water, drain again, and brown on both sides in butter or bacon grease.  Serve with sour cream.  The knepfels may also be left in the broth and eaten as a soup.

Home-made cottage cheese is best, but you can use commercial cottage cheese if it is drained as dry as possible.

Another version:

Dough:

2 cups Flour 

1 tsp Salt 

2 eggs 

1/2 cup (or more) water

Cottage Cheese Filling:

2 cups DRY curd cottage cheese 

2 eggs 

Pinch of salt 

1 small onion

Dried bread crumbs or unflavored croutons 

Butter

Mix well the cottage cheese, eggs, salt & onion.

Mix Flour, salt & eggs. Add warm water to make a medium firm dough. Knead well. Roll dough on floured board & cut in 4 squares. Put approx. 1 Tablespoon of cottage cheese in the center (so it does not get too near the edge or it will be hard to seal). Fold dough over and pinch the edges shut. (You may use a little water to seal the edges before you pinch them.)

Boil water with a pinch of salt. Put the buttons into boiling water and cook until they rise. Carefully lift out of water and put into a casserole dish. Brown bread crumbs in butter in a frying pan and put over top of buttons (you may also fry them with the bread crumbs and butter). Enjoy while warm.

Serves 4-6 people.

I remember my grandmother Pauline Weisz making this when we visited her.  They were always a treat, and the soup was delicious.