To go with the roast chicken in beer, here's Lidia's recipe for the bread dumplings, haven't had them but to my carb-besotted way of thinking these would be a total foodgasm. Great use for stale bread.
Canerdli with Speck
Genuine imported speck is the meat of choice for these canederli, but you can substitute either thick-cut bacon or prosciutto. In particular, the fatty prosciutto from the end of the leg gives excellent results. Or you may omit the meat entirely and still have quite satisfying canederli. Poached canederli are best served as soon as they are cooked, but you can cook them in advance, and reheat them in hot stock.
2 ounces thick-sliced speck, (or bacon or prosciutto)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cups white bread, day-old, crusts removed, cut in 1-inch cubes
2 cups milk
1 cup Grana Padano, or Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for topping
¼ cup fresh chives, chopped
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1 tablespoon
2 eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons butter
First, cut the sliced speck into strips about 1/3-inch wide; chop the strips crosswise to form little square bits of meat.
Pour the olive oil into a smaller skillet, and set it over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook until it starts sizzling. Spoon a tablespoon or two of water into the pan (so the onions soften without coloring), and cook for 3 or 4 minutes more. Scatter in the chopped speck and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, until it has rendered its fat. Scrape the onion and speck into a large bowl and let cool.
Put the bread cubes in another bowl, and pour in the milk. Toss the cubes so they're all drenched, then let them soak up the milk for about 10 minutes, until completely saturated. By handfuls, squeeze the bread, discarding the excess milk.
Loosen the compressed bread, tearing it into shreds, and toss them into the bowl with the speck. Add the grated cheese, chives, parsley, and salt, and toss everything together. Pour the beaten eggs over the bread mixture, and stir to blend. Finally, sprinkle on 1/2 cup flour and stir it in to form a moist, sticky dough. Pick up a bit and form it into a ball: if it is too soft to keep a shape, stir in more flour, a tablespoon at a time.
Fill a wide pot with about 6 quarts water, and add 1 tablespoon salt; heat it to a boil. Melt the butter in a big skillet over very low heat; turn off the flame, but leave the skillet on the burner.
Spread 1/2 cup flour on a tray or baking sheet. With floured hands, scoop up a small portion of dough (a scant 1/4 cup or so). Shape the dough into a 2-inch ball, tossing it from hand to hand and patting it lightly into a round (don't press or squeeze it). Lay it in the flour, and roll the ball to coat it all over.
Set in on one side of the tray, and form round dumplings from the rest of the dough the same way. With the poaching water at a steady boil, drop in the dumplings, one at a time but quickly. Handle them gently and don't stir them. Bring the water back to a boil, then adjust it so it simmers steadily. Don't let it boil vigorously, which can break apart the canederli. Let the dumplings cook, without stirring, until all have risen to the surface of the water. Simmer them for a couple of minutes, then scoop one out and cut into it to check that the center is not wet and the dough looks uniformly cooked through.
Meanwhile, have the big skillet with melted butter warming over very low heat. Lift the cooked dumplings with a spider, let drain over the pot for a few seconds, then gently drop them in the butter. Spoon butter over the canederli and serve them right away on individual plates or a platter with grated cheese.
If you are serving them as an accompaniment to braised or roasted meat, drizzle the pan juices over the canederli. You can also arrange the buttered canederli around the meat on a platter, letting them slowly absorb the juices or sauce.