Recently I was honored to be asked by my friend PolaM from “An Italian Cooking in the Midwest” whether I wanted to join a cultural blog swap group she was forming, “World on a Plate”. All of us have one thing in common: we are expats blogging about our native cuisine(s), and so this promises to be a delicious, colorful and exciting culinary journey around the globe. You can see all blogs linked at the end of this post, but I’d like to introduce them to you briefly, before I get to my part of this month’s post on meatballs (we are posting the last Sunday of each month from here on out):
Biren at “Roti n Rice” (Chinese, Malay, Indian, Japanese, Korean)
Ewa at “Delishhh” (Swedish, International)
Katherine at “Katherine Martinelli” (Israeli, American, International)
Hyosun of “Eating and Living” (Classic Korean)
PolaM of “An Italian Cooking in the Midwest” (Healthy & authentic Italian)
Raymund of “Ang Sarap” (Philippino, Spanish, SE Asian)
Vijitha at “Spices & Aroma” (South Indian)
If you are a food blogger and are specializing in a particular ethnic cuisine (especially one not represented, yet), I encourage you to get in touch with our “chief”, PolaM! I am proud to be part of this group and excited to present to you my contribution this month, “Mom’s German meatballs” (Fleischküchle/Fleischfrikadellen). Literally translated, Fleischküchle means “small meat cake” and just like “Fleischfrikadelle” refers to a small hand-shaped cake made, in this case, out of ground meat.
This is another staple in my mother’s cooking, and the best part is, they can be eaten hot or cold. We used to make them ahead of time and then take them on picnics a lot. In a smaller size, they become the perfect finger food. As the German terms in parentheses suggest, it is a dish that has as many regional and personal variations as there are people in Germany making it. Simply because you may have been introduced to one version doesn’t mean you will eat it the same way someplace else.
Many of us have a family recipe like what I am listing below that they have been making for years. With onions, without onions, adding herbs etc. The possibilities are endless, and my mom’s are made without a sauce and usually eaten as a meat entrée. I have also seen these offered as a sandwich, basically one bigger, slightly flatter Frikadelle with condiments on a German bun.
Do you have a special way to make meatballs? With/without sauce?
- 500 g ground meat, preferably beef
- 10 g (1½ tsp) salt
- 3 g (1½ tsp) ground pepper
- 5 g (2½ tsp) curry powder or paprika
- 5 g (5 tsp) mixed herbs
- 75 g (2/3 cup) bread crumbs
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 5 – 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 – 3 eggs
With a fork, break up the ground meat. Add the salt, pepper, spices/herbs and all the other ingredients.- Mix well until all is thoroughly combined and there are no big chunks of meat left.
- With an ice cream scoop, portion out the meat dough into equal size scoops, then roll them by hand and flatten them slightly.
- Heat up oil in a frying pan, preferably lined with Teflon.
Turn down the heat slightly and add raw meatballs to the pan. Fry on both sides for about 5 – 10 minutes per batch or until completely done in the middle. (Slightly pink is OK, raw meat is not.)- Remove from pan and set on a plate with some kitchen towels to drain the excess grease.
- Serve by themselves just with a side of salad and some bread or as an entrée. They are perfect as an accompaniment to Rahmkartoffeln.
Frikadellen stehen heute auch bei mir auf dem Speiseplan/ dinner menu. Muss noch los um Lauch fuers Lauchgemuese zu kaufen, das gehoert bei mir als Beilage dazu.
Kerstin, haettest Du Interesse auf meinem Blog mal als Guest zu posten? Ich blogge auch auf English mit vielen deutschen Rezepten. Let me know.
Gruesse aus Colorado, Kirsten.
Kirsten@MyKitcheninthe Rockies recently posted..Joy’s Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies
He, das hört sich super an! Ich LIEBE Lauch, könnte mich darin herumwälzen, wie es so schön heißt… Meinst Du Kerstin (Kerstin’s Kitchen) oder mich mit dem Guest Post? Ich würde mich selbstverständlich sehr freuen, aber wenn Du (auch) Kerstin möchtest, leite ich das natürlich gerne weiter.
Sofie, sorry, das hab ich wohl falsch gelesen. Nein, ich meinte schon Dich. Ich wuerde mich riessig ueber eine Guestpost freuen. Mail mich doch mal direkt an, dann koennen wir die Details besprechen. Thanks. Freue mich. Kirsten
Kirsten(at)dkhall(dot)org
Kirsten@MyKitcheninthe Rockies recently posted..Joy’s Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies
I’ve never had German Meatballs. I am going to have to try these. Thanks so much for the award. I just added it to my blog and thought you might want to come by and and read my list. Thanks again much appreciated.
Andrea (questfordelish) recently posted..Versatile Blog Award
Thank you for stopping by! These meatballs are really fast and easy to make, and as I said, the perfect finger food for a picnic! Now heading over to your blog!
Oh, these look wonderful! Great flavors – I love meatballs!
sara recently posted..Baked Cod with Orange-Cashew Rice
Thanks! Be sure to visit the other bloggers, it’s a pretty amazing (and yummy) line-up!
I am a writer and writing workshop leader who loves to cook. It is my outlet and escape. But for some reason I have always had trouble with meatballs. Just can’t seem to get them right to my taste. So I am really up for trying this German variation tomorrow or the next day. This recipe and the method sound like they might be right on. Thanks for that. I would also enjoy following this blog if that is possible.
Thank you for visiting! Much appreciated! If you do make them, please let me know how this worked out for you. The recipe is easy enough, but I like to get some feedback from my readers whenever possible. If you’re interested in following, just click on the RSS feed icon in the upper right-hand corner, that will take you to my post feed, which you can then integrate into whatever RSS reader you’re using. Or, if and when you comment again, just check the “notify by email” box at the bottom of the comment form.
What a fantastic idea for a blog swap–I am looking forward to reading these posts! Your meatballs look awesome.
Cucina49 recently posted..Bit o’ Honey
Thanks! Yes, I’m very thankful that Pola started this, so far it’s been fun, and we’ve only just started! BTW, I haven’t gotten around to it, but I just gave you an award (the “Sunshine Award”), and I was going to let you know on your blog, but have a million good excuses why I’m behind in my commenting. Thanks for stopping by here, my friend, much appreciated! XO
These meatballs look awesome! And they are all the more special because they are a family recipe. I can’t wait to try them! So happy to be in this wonderful group with you
Thank you! It was a struggle writing this one down, b/c I’ve only ever made them from memory, and that always kind of changed.
And yes, it’s an exciting endeavor and I’m hoping we can keep it going w/ as much enthusiasm as what we started it with!
I love recipes that are passed down the generations. They always have a certain charm and bring back a whole lot of memories. This is a great contribution to Pola’s series.
Baker Street recently posted..Muffin Monday: Coffee Break Muffins
Yep, they sure do. My daughter said something to that effect as well when I made them!
Have I mentioned before that I’m meatball obsessed? YUM!! I could devour the entire pot of them. Well done.
Ramona recently posted..Thai Basil Shrimp (Salad)
Aw, thanks! Well, I didn’t know you are OBSESSED, but seeing that you’re a really good cook and fond of curries, it does make sense!
I love moms recipes or grandmother recipes – you know they’ve been perfected over time.
I’ve sat here for 3 minutes trying to say the name in German.
#fail
Maureen @ Orgasmic Chef recently posted..Bulgarian Pitka Bread
I don’t know what you mean, the pronunciation is EASY. LOL I know, those long German words can literally be a mouthful. And yes, recipes like that are tried & true.
Moms cooking are always the best, thats why when I see her I always ask her to cook things that I love during my childhood
Raymund recently posted..Lion’s Head Meatballs
I don’t see mine often enough, and she doesn’t really cook that much anymore – it’s just her and her husband, so they’d rather go out to eat. Which was fine, too, when I was there last, b/c she could just enjoy my stay.
Love it. My mom used to put chopped onions in her meatballs so I do, too and I love them hot or cold. Thanks for sharing the German version.
Anita at Hungry Couple recently posted..The Water Club
Wonderful to hear that she passed that on to you! In my book, onions make everything better.
BTW, I did FB DM you my #, just in case you did want to get together while we are in NYC. If you’re busy, that’s OK.
Sofie, I’m glad you told me because I didn’t get a FB DM. Can send it to my blog DM? HungrycoupleNYC@yahoo.com
Anita at Hungry Couple recently posted..The Water Club
If you aren’t “friends” w/ somebody, they show up under “other messages”. I’ll send you an email – and a friend request, that will cover all the bases.
Hi Sophie – I love how simple your version is! As Biren said, it sounds delicious with curry powder and mixed herbs. Can’t wait to try it! I am very happy to meet you through Word on a Plate.
Thank you! I’m excited about this group and to meet you as well, and about how it opens your eyes to different versions of dishes you know.
These look and sound amazing. I’m going to have to try these. Love your site!
Thank you, and also thank you for stopping by! These are really easy to make – please let me know how they turn out for you if you do try to make them.
This are wonderful meatballs! And the closest to mine probably…. I half expected keiser kloesschen, but I think I might prefer frikadellen!
PolaM recently posted..World on a plate: Meatballs
Yep, that’s what I thought, too. On occasion I have mixed in grated cheese, and it makes them taste even better! I was thinking about Koenigsberger Klopse at first, but decided on this simpler version…
Frikadellen! Yay! No sauce, cold, sliced, on Broetchen, with mustard. MMMMyeah.
Kiri W. recently posted..Chayote – A Vegetable Pear?
That is exactly what I’m talking about.
Frikadellen… I had a cultural exchange w/ a friend from Kiel just recently, that’s what they’re called there, too.
This is an exciting developement and I look forward to the new International content one Sunday a month! Wow, it looks like the ol’ blogosphere is exploding.
Sophie, one of your photos show a lovely rounded “punched out” or cutout meatball from what looks like freshly ground meat. This would keep the resulting meatball juicy, loose and delectable but I wonder if it is the ‘recipe’ meat mix re-ground or not. Could you clarify?
Thanks for asking! No, that is straight ground meat, nothing mixed in. In fact, you have to really mix all ingredients together – not as thoroughly as an Asian meatball, but the meat should be broken up.
And yes, this new group has me totally excited!
Hello sophie,
These meat balls look so good. I am so excited to see so many varieties in our group and yours sounds simple and its uses curry powder!!??!! I am assuming that it will taste close to our meatballs. I will try it and let you know the difference.
Vijitha recently posted..Introducing world on a plate team with my vegetarian meatballs
Ours are typically made w/o a sauce, but my mom has used the frying grease to make a simple gravy before.
We love meatballs at our house and can’t wait to try your version. I know it is going to be delicious with that curry powder and mixed herbs in there. Thanks for sharing!
Biren @ Roti n Rice recently posted..Sweet and Sour Meatballs
OMG, this group will make me gain a gazillion pounds! I’ve just been through all but Raymund’s posts, and they all sounded SOO FRIGGIN’ GOOD!