These chubby dumplings from canton Graubünden are similar to Spätzli, only bigger and often made with buckwheat. They are beloved in the canton and beyond, and often served with cabbage, spinach, or simply cheese and dried meat.

The real challenge lies in their cooking, as they demand a rustic method to keep them plump and homely. You basically plop the batter on a cutting board, and scrape blobs into a pot of boiling water, no Spätzlehobel in sight.

This was my first attempt with the cutting board method, and it was a bit messy, (but kind of nice not to have to clean the Spätzlehobel afterwards).

Here’s a video of my process:

Tips for Pizokel success!

Use a cutting board that you can easily hold
Work slowly (the boiling water always makes me feel like I have to hurry)
Don’t put too much batter on the board at a time
Have your frying pan ready to receive the dumplings

Variations on the batter include different flour mixes—all white, some buckwheat, all buckwheat, some spelt—and some even include potatoes. Depending on your preference, you can throw some herbs in the batter,

I went for a topping of spinach, though many recipes include Wirz (savoy cabbage), or even just a grating of cheese. Sherly, of Sherly’s Kitchen adds a creamy sauce with cheese and mushrooms.

For the batter:

275 g flour

200 g buckwheat flour

1 tsp salt

200 ml water

60 g Quark or sour cream

3 eggs

For the topping:

knob of butter

3 cloves of garlic

300 g spinach

100 g Sbrinz or Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

100 ml cream

300 g cherry tomatoes, halved

salt and pepper

In a large bowl, mix together the flour and salt.

In a large measuring cup, whisk together the water, Quark and eggs. Add this to the flour mixture and stir well. You should be able to see bubbles on the top of the batter from vigorous stirring.

Set aside for at least 30 minutes to rest.

When you are ready to cook the Pizokel:

Heat the butter in a large frying pan and when it is sputtering, add the garlic. Cook for a minute, then add the spinach. Keep this over medium heat.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Place a spoonful of the Pizokel batter onto a cutting board and use a scraper to scrape off small bits of batter into the boiling water. Once they rise up to the surface, lift them out with a slotted spoon and add them to the spinach and garlic in the frying pan. If the pan is getting too hot, add a spoonful of the Pizokel cooking water.

Keep doing this in batches until all the batter has been cooked.

Add a few spoonfuls of cooking water and the cheese, and stir until melted. Stir in the cream.

Add the cherry tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.

I really like this mix of buckwheat and white flour, but you can make them with just white flour, like this recipe on the Graubünden tourism website.
More on Quark here (plus tips on availability in other countries).
Feel free to mix a handful of chopped herbs into the batter—traditionally mint or parsley are often used.
Wirz (savoy cabbage) can be used in place of spinach (or use half and half).
I like the bright burst of flavour and colour from the cherry tomatoes, but they can be left out if need be.
Another great topping is cheese sauce and mushrooms—Sherly’s Kitchen has a great recipe.