Grünkern-Frikadellen (smoked green spelt patties)
Patties built on Grünkern, unripe spelt harvested green and kiln-smoked, a distinctly German grain with a smoky flavour no substitute quite replicates. Cooking the Grünkern until fully tender and slightly overcooked rather than al dente is essential here, since undercooked grains leave the patties too loose to hold together in the pan.
Prep20 min
Cook30 min
Rest20 min
Servings4
Christoph's Grünkern patties, the grain cooked past al dente until fully tender so the patties hold together.
Ingredients
Units
Temperature
Servings
Patties
- 200 g Grünkern (green spelt) rounded
- 500 ml vegetable broth rounded
- 100 g onion, finely chopped rounded
- 1 egg rounded
- 50 g breadcrumbs rounded
- 15 g fresh parsley rounded
- 30 ml neutral oil, for frying rounded
- to taste fine salt rounded
Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.
Method
- Combine the Grünkern and broth in a pot. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fully tender with no firm bite remaining and most of the liquid absorbed. Let cool slightly.
- Combine the cooked Grünkern, onion, egg, breadcrumbs, parsley and salt. Mix thoroughly, mashing lightly with a fork or your hands to help the mixture bind.
- Shape into 8 patties. Chill for 20 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the patties for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden brown and firm.
Notes
- Cook the Grünkern well past al dente. Unlike most grains, this one needs to be genuinely soft and slightly overcooked to release enough starch to bind the patties; firm, undercooked grains leave the mixture crumbly and prone to falling apart.
- Grünkern’s smoky flavour is the whole point. It comes from the traditional kiln-drying process; don’t season around it as though it were a neutral grain.
- Chill the shaped patties before frying, so the egg and breadcrumbs have time to firm the mixture before it meets the heat.
- Leftover patties reheat well in a hot, dry pan for a few minutes per side.
Ingredient substitutions
- Grünkern is genuinely distinctive; bulgur is the closest substitute in texture, though it lacks the smoky character entirely.
- Any hard, well-flavoured cheese stirred into the mixture is a good addition.
- Serve with a simple yoghurt sauce or a green salad alongside.
From Christoph Mayer