Kase Knephla - Cheese Buttons
When my father talked about his mother's kase knephlas, he always got a smile on his face. (Pronounced kay-za nep-fla, aka cheese buttons.) This German ravioli is basically made of egg dough filled with cheese, boiled and then fried in butter or better yet, in bacon grease.
Below is a recipe for those of you who would like to give it a try. If you have any "Cheese Button" stories, please send them in.
Kase Knephla (Cheese Buttons)
Dough:
3 cups flour
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
Water
Filling:
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
Black pepper, to taste
1 small onion, finely diced
1 1/2 lbs. dry curd cottage cheese
4 tablespoons minced parsley
For Frying:
Cubed stale bread
Butter or cream
Bring several quarts of water to a boil and salt to taste. Mix flour, 1 tsp. salt, 2 eggs and water to make a firm dough. Divide into 3 parts. Roll very thin; cut into squares, about 3 inches. Mix remaining ingredients together and spoon onto squares. Wet edges of dough and fold over to form triangles. Seal edges with a fork.
Add buttons to water and boil gently for 7-8 minutes or until dough is tender. Melt a few tablespoons butter in large skillet or wok on medium heat. Increase heat to medium high heat and fry buttons for several minutes or until browned in spots, adding bread cubes toward the end of cooking.


