4 quarts 1/8-inch slices stale hard french rolls
1 cup course hard roll crumbs
2 cups lukewarm milk
2 extra lg eggs
4 teaspoons unsalted butter or margarine
1 medium peeled & chopped onion
1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
Place the sliced rolls and crumbs in a large mixing bowl and drizzle the milk evenly over all. Toss well and let stand, uncovered, at room temperature for 30 minutes, tossing once after 15 minutes. If, after 30 minutes, there is any unabsorbed milk in the bowl, pour it off. Add the eggs to the roll mixture and knead in with your hands.
Melt the butter in a heavy 10-inch skillet over moderate heat, add the onion, reduce the heat to low, and sauté 5 to 6 minutes, stirring now and then, just until translucent. Add the parsley and sauté 2 minutes longer, stirring often. Add the onion mixture and salt to the roll mixture and knead in with your hands until smooth and paste like. Scoop up a bit of the dumpling mixture with wet hands and shape into a ball 2 inches in diameter.
Using a perforated ladle, slotted spoon, or skimmer, ease this test dumpling into the boiling salted water, let the water return to a boil, then adjust the heat so that it stays as a slow boil. Cover the kettle and boil the dumplings for 15 minutes.
Lift the test dumpling from the kettle with the perforated ladle to a platter lined with several thickness of paper toweling. If the dumpling has fallen apart in the cooking water, work a few more crumbs into the remaining dumpling mixture and try a second test dumpling. If the dumpling has not fallen apart, gently pull it apart with two forks - never cut Semmelknodel with a knife because you'll compact them. The dumpling should be cooked all the way through and have a feathery texture. If it is doughy
inside, you will know to cook the remaining dumplings 3 to 5 minutes longer. Taste the dumpling and, if not salty enough, add a bit more salt to the remaining dumpling mixture.
Shape the remaining dumpling mixture into 2-inch balls. Ease them into the boiling salted water, let the water return to the boil, then adjust the heat so the water boils gently but steadily. Cover the kettle and cook the dumplings for 15 minutes, or until cooked through. Lift from the kettle with the perforated ladle, roll quickly on several thickness of paper toweling, and serve with a roast or stew, topping with plenty of the gravy.
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