A quenelle is a French soft fish dumpling usually in a cream sauce yellowed with egg yolks. You can substitute other meats and make variations of the sauce with vegetables, but I made them vegetarian with cheese – a simplified version from the March 2011 Vegetarian Times magazine. I decided I’m going to have the vegetarian version until someday either I go fishing and make them with my own little fish or visit France.
The dough has to cool a couple of hours but you can make either the sauce or the quenelles a day early. I put the dough outside today to cool it quickly (it’s below freezing here) and they did not boil as nicely as they did when I waited a couple of hours for them to cool on their own. Spreading the dough on parchment makes it easier to roll; you can also roll them on a floured surface. I’m using the home-canned tomatoes – sometimes it’s so nice to not have to take time to seed and chop tomatoes – but you can substitute fresh or a large can of crushed tomatoes.
Cheese Quenelles
1 1/2 C whole milk
4 T unsalted butter
Sea salt and pepper
3/4 C semolina flour
1/4 C all-purpose flour
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
4 oz. finely grated Gruyère cheese
8 oz. shredded mozzarella (or other cheese)
Bring milk and butter to a simmer in saucepan over medium heat until butter melts; season with salt and pepper. Cook 2 to 3 minutes while stirring until mixture is thick and smooth. Put mixture into a bowl; stir in egg, egg yolk, and Gruyère.
Spread mixture on rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on dough to flatten evenly, and cool 2 hours.
Boil a large pot of water. Roll semolina dough up into 8 4-inch logs on well-floured work surface to make quenelles. Turn boiling water back to a simmer and slip quenelles into simmering water and cook 8 to 10 minutes. Quenelles will sink to the bottom the rise to the surface when cooked. Transfer with slotted spoon to paper-towel-lined platter.
Tomato Sauce
3 T avocado oil
1 chopped sweet onion (1 /2 cups)
2 crushed cloves garlic
1 pint jar crushed tomatoes
1 sm can tomato paste
1/4 t thyme
Heat oil, onion, and garlic in saucepan over medium heat for a few minutes until softened. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, and thyme, and cook 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Put tomato sauce in 8-inch square baking dish or casserole. Arrange quenelles in tomato sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella or other cheese over quenelles. Bake 15 minutes.
