Fleischpflanzerl, also known as Buletten, or Frikadellen, are made of minced meat mixed with softened Brötchen (bread rolls) and eggs. Served hot or cold, with a pickle, with or without mustard, eaten plain or on a Schrippe (another word for roll) — doesn’t matter, as long as it tastes like Mutti’s. Tip: The “mushier” the softened bread, the lighter the meatballs will be. The harder the bread is, the firmer the meatballs’ consistency will be — but that’s a matter of taste. Serve with potato salad, sauerkraut or mashed potatoes.

Ingredients:

500 g minced meat (beef and pork)
100 g white bread
100 ml milk
1 onion
1 tbsp butter
2 eggs
2 tsp mustard
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp marjoram
½ tsp nutmeg
3 tbsp olive oil

Preparations:

1. Soak bread in milk.
2. Finely chop onion.
3. In frying pan saute onions with butter until glassy.
4. Place minced meat into a bowl and mix in eggs, soaked bread and mustard.
5. Fold in onions and add all other spices to taste. Form 8-10 patties.
6. Fry the patties at medium temperature for about 15 minutes, flipping them a few times.

Leberknödelsuppe is a traditional German dish, particularly popular in Bavaria. It is a liver dumpling soup made of beef liver, bread, eggs, and parsley cooked in beef broth. In the Palatinate, Leberknödel are often served with Sauerkraut and mashed potatoes.

Ingredients:

2 stale bread rolls
3/4 cup lukewarm milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 onion, finely chopped
400 g trimmed and finely ground beef liver
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped carrots
1 pinch dried marjoram
1⁄2 tsp of lemon zest
1 tsp salt
1 pinch fresh ground black pepper
about 1 tbsp dry breadcrumbs
750 ml beef broth

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, pour the milk over bread rolls and soak for 10 minutes.
2. Beat the eggs, then pour over the soaked rolls.
3. Add the onion, liver, parsley, marjoram, lemon zest, salt, pepper and breadcrumbs.
4. Mix together well and knead until it forms pliable dough. (You may need to add some plain bread crumbs).
5. Form walnut-sized dumplings.
6. If your mixture is too wet or loose, then add another bread roll.
7. Bring the broth and carrots to a simmer in a large pot. Heat should be about medium or just a little lower. Don’t put the dumplings into boiling water because it will make them fall apart. Add dumplings one by one and let simmer. Dumplings will fall to the bottom of the pot and then float. Simmer for another 30 minutes once dumplings float to top. Avoid stirring the pot, it will break up the dumplings.
8. Serve dumplings hot in bowl with broth.

Ingredients:

For the dumplings:

• 200 g dry white bread or 6 stale rolls (Brötchen)
• 1 glass lukewarm milk
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 onion
• 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2-3 eggs
• flour or breadcrumbs

For the mushrooms:

• 600 g fresh champignons or chanterelles
• 1/2 lemon (about 3 tbsp juice)
• 1 onion
• 1/2 bunch parsley
• 2 tbsp butter
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 200 ml cream

Preparation:

1. For the dumplings, cut the bread in small cubes or thin slices, put in a bowl, and pour with the lukewarm milk.  Add salt, pepper and nutmeg, then let sit for 20 minutes.
2. Clean the mushrooms.  Let them dry, then cut them in thin slices.  Sprinkle with 2 tbsp lemon juice.
3. Peel both onions and wash and dry the whole bunch of parsley.  Finely chop the onions and parsley.
4. For the dumplings, melt 1 tbsp butter in a small pan, then saute half the onions until transparent.  Mix in half of the parsley and cook shortly.  Add the egg and the onion-parsley mixture to the bread mixture and combine everything well.  Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.
5. In a large pot, bring 2 liters of salted water to a boil.  Make a small test dumpling and carefully place it in the boiling water for a short time.  If it falls apart, add some flour or bread crumbs to the dumpling mixture.  Then, with moistened hands, make 8 dumplings.  Carefully put them in the boiling saltwater and allow them to cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.
6. For the mushrooms, melt 2 tbsp butter in a large pan.  Add the rest of the chopped onions and cook until transparent.  Add the mushrooms to the pan, stirring constantly.  Add salt and pepper and the cream and let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes.  Add the rest of the parsley and stir.  Add salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.
7. Take the finished dumplings from the water and allow to drip dry.  Serve with the mushroom sauce.