Oktoberfest and Frikadellen.

If Schweinshaxe seems a bit too much effort, then perhaps a simple Frikadellen recipe will be more up your strasse.

What is a Frikadellen?

A Frikadellen, (or Frikadeller in Denmark.) is, in some ways, part spicy meatball, part rissole and part burger pattie. Indeed, whilst the Frikadellen is popular in many parts of Europe, it is the North German version, particularly those made in Hamburg, that crossed the Atlantic to give birth to the U.S.A.s burger. Various recipes contain different meats, with Pork, Beef, Venison and Veal all getting a mention, however, all of the recipes always use 50% Pork. Whichever combination of meats are used, the finished mixture should have a fat content of 10-15%. If the meat is too lean, it will be difficult to form into Frikadellen shapes.

The recipe:

Please note. This recipe is best made the day before. Partly because the flavours develop overnight, but more importantly, because after kneading the spicy meat paste, it is far too loose to form into the burger shapes required. I made the Frikadellen mixture, and chilled it in the fridge overnight. This helped to `set up ` the meat and made it much easier for Gina to work with the following day.

Take two slices of slightly dry/stale bread. break the bread into small pieces and soak in a 1/4 cup of warm milk for about 15 minutes, then squeeze out most of the milk. Finely chop an onion, and saute until translucent (5-6 minutes.), add a clove of minced garlic, cook for another minute, then drain off any excess oil and put to one side.

Combine the meats, (500g Pork &500g Beef.) bread and onions in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Add to the mixture the following seasonings. Ground Mace 1/4 teaspoon, Ground Coriander 1/4 tsp, Ground ginger 1/2 tsp, Ground Cardamom 1/8 tsp, add 1 teaspoon of each of the following: Smoked sweet Paprika, Marjoram, Mustard. Once the meat and spices are well mixed, add a beaten egg to help bind the mixture. chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

To cook!

Split the mixture into four equal parts, and gently form into burger shapes, chill for 30 minutes, then cook on a skillet or frying pan over a medium heat until browned on each side, and cooked through.

Serve with either a German potato salad, or in a crusty roll with mustard. and of course an Oktoberfest Beer!