Riddle Recipe: Maultaschen ("Mouth Pockets")
Maultaschen is my sister-in-love's favorite German specialty, and literally translated means "mouth pockets." (Thanks for introducing it to us, Heike!) The dish is basically a beef and spinach dumpling soup, but with a lot of love mixed in. It comes out best when you can flatten the dough with a pasta roller, but a rolling pin can work okay, too. Don't be shy, give it a try - it's delicious!
The filling:
½ onion diced
1 lb spinach: chopped and steamed
1 lb ground beef, raw
2 tbsp melted butter
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cracker crumbs
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp nutmeg
Mix all ingredients until incorporated, using your hands is the best.
The dough:
3 ½ cp flour
6 eggs lightly beaten
1 tsp salt
The dough can be made either by hand or with an electric mixer with a dough hook attachment. Mix together the flour and salt. Make a well in the flour mix and add the eggs. Incorporate by kneading or with the mixer. Knead until the dough is smooth. (a.k.a. bicep workout for the day)
Run small sections of the dough through a pasta roller. Starting with the widest setting, and stopping at 4.5. If you don't have a pasta maker you can roll it out with a rolling pin until it is VERY thin. It is best to work on a well-floured surface. Cut the dough into four inch squares (approximate). Place a round tablespoon full in the center of each pasta square. Brush the edges with a beaten egg. Fold over one half of the pasta square to make a small rectangle. Pinch the edges closed tightly and set aside on a floured cookie sheet.
While you are rolling out and stuffing the Maultaschen, start boiling the broth. You will need 6 cups of beef broth then add 1 tbsp parsley, ½ tsp nutmeg, ¼ tsp paprika, 1.2 tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp dried thyme.
When the broth is boiling, add the Maultaschen. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Serve Maultaschen in steaming broth. This recipe makes about 40 Maultaschen or 8-10 servings.
