Grünkernbratlinge
Green spelt patties
Grünkernbratlinge: crisp patties of green spelt from Baden, with onion, herbs, egg and cheese, served with herb quark
Grünkern is spelt picked while still green and dried over beech smoke, a speciality of the Bauland and Odenwald in northern Baden. Simmered and shaped into Bratlinge, it became the vegetarian patty of German wholefood kitchens and school canteens, eaten for a weekday lunch with potato salad or a crisp green salad. They are nutty and slightly smoky, crisp outside and soft within. With the herb quark, one portion of three patties gives about 23 g of protein, from the spelt, eggs, mountain cheese and quark. Hard mountain cheese is often made with animal rennet, so choose one labelled vegetarian if that matters to you. The usual mistake is frying the mixture while it is still warm and loose; it must cool and firm up first, or the patties fall apart in the pan. Chef's tip: use coarsely cracked green spelt rather than whole grains; it soaks up the stock evenly and binds without any extra flour.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the patties
- 2 cups vegetable stockmeat-free
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- ½ oz butter
- 1 carrotfinely grated
- 2 eggslarge
- 2 ⅝ oz mountain cheesegrated; vegetarian if needed
- 1 ⅜ oz dry breadcrumbsplus extra if needed
- 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsleychopped
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 1 tsp medium mustard
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
For frying
- 4 tbsp rapeseed oil
For the herb quark
- 9 oz quark
- 2 tbsp chivessnipped
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp milkto loosen
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Bring 2 cups vegetable stock to the boil in a saucepan, stir in 9 oz cracked green spelt (Grünkernschrot), cover and simmer on the lowest heat for 10 minutes, until the stock is absorbed. Take off the heat and leave covered for 10 minutes to swell.
20 minStep 3: Tip the spelt into a bowl, add the onion and 1 carrot and leave to cool until barely warm, about 20 minutes. Spread it out on a tray to speed this up.
20 minStep 4: Beat in 2 eggs, 2 ⅝ oz mountain cheese, 1 ⅜ oz dry breadcrumbs, 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, 1 tsp dried marjoram, 1 tsp medium mustard, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper. Squeeze a little in your hand: it should hold together without sticking to your fingers. If it is too soft, add another spoonful of breadcrumbs and rest it 10 minutes.
Step 5: With wet hands, shape 12 patties about 1.5 cm thick and 7 cm across.
Step 6: Heat half of 2 tbsp rapeseed oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry 6 patties for 4–5 minutes per side, until deep golden and crisp and firm when pressed in the middle. Don't turn them too early, or the crust tears. Keep warm in a low oven and fry the rest in 2 tbsp rapeseed oil.
10 minStep 7: Stir 9 oz quark with 2 tbsp chives, 1 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp milk until smooth and season with a pinch of salt. Serve 3 patties per person with a spoon of herb quark.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 23 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does grünkernbratlinge take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of vegetable stock?
- Chicken stock, same amount (not vegetarian).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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