Maultaschen

Method

1. Make the dough. Mix the flour, eggs, oil, and salt, then knead by machine or by hand until smooth and elastic, adding a little water only if it stays dry. The dough should feel like chewing gum and should not stick. Wrap it and rest for 40 minutes.
2. Wilt the spinach in a little boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes, drain, rinse cold, squeeze it very dry, and chop it finely.
3. Melt the butter and soften the onion for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and parsley and cook 1 minute more. Let it cool.
4. Combine the pork, beef, spinach, onion mixture, soaked bread, eggs, salt, nutmeg, white pepper, and marjoram. Mix well with your hands until it is cohesive. For a finer texture, pulse about a third of the mixture in a blender and stir it back in.
5. Roll the dough very thin, almost translucent, and cut it into squares of about 9 to 10 cm.
6. Place a spoon of filling on each square. Brush the edges with egg white, fold into a triangle or top with a second square, and press the edges with a fork to seal tightly.
7. Bring the broth to a gentle simmer. Working in batches so the pot is not crowded, simmer the Maultaschen for about 15 minutes, until the dough is cooked through. Lift them out with a slotted spoon.

Serving styles

• In der Brühe: hot in a bowl of the clear broth with sliced Frühlingszwiebeln. The classic and the simplest.
• Geschmälzte Maultaschen: pan-fried in butter after simmering, topped with deeply caramelized onions.
• Gebratene Maultaschen mit Ei: sliced, fried in butter, then beaten egg with herbs poured over and cooked like a scramble.
• Schweizer Art: laid whole in a dish, topped with ham and a Swiss-style cheese, baked until bubbling.

Notes

• Large square wonton wrappers that contain egg work as a dough shortcut. A Swabian purist will object, but they cook the same.
• Freeze uncooked Maultaschen in a single layer, then bag them. Cook them from frozen straight in simmering broth.
• The filling can be made meat-free with extra spinach, ricotta, or a soft cheese.
• Serve with a Schwäbischer Salatteller or a simple green salad.
• The three checks that decide the result: thin dough, spinach squeezed properly dry so the filling is not wet, and a tight seal so they hold in the broth.

Sources consulted

• The Daring Gourmet: Authentic German Maultaschen
• My German Recipes: Maultaschen, Swabian Filled Pasta

Passt gut zu

• Schwäbischer Kartoffelsalat
• Schwäbischer Salatteller

Von Christoph Mayer