Wirsingfrikadellen (savoy cabbage patties)
Savoy cabbage patties built on cabbage blanched briefly then squeezed thoroughly dry, since cabbage carries a surprising amount of water that leaves the patty mixture too loose to hold together in the pan if it isn't dealt with first. Chopping the blanched cabbage by hand rather than blending it is what keeps enough texture in the patties to distinguish them from a dense vegetable mash.
Prep30 min
Cook25 min
Rest20 min
Servings4
Christoph's savoy cabbage patties, the cabbage blanched and squeezed thoroughly dry so the mixture holds together.
Ingredients
Written for a 3 L pot
Units
Temperature
Servings
Patties
- 500 g savoy cabbage, cored, roughly chopped rounded
- 100 g onion, finely chopped rounded
- 2 eggs rounded
- 100 g breadcrumbs rounded
- 60 g shredded cheese rounded
- 2 g grated nutmeg 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
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the cabbage for 3 minutes, until just wilted. Drain and rinse under cold water, then squeeze thoroughly dry in a clean kitchen towel.
- Chop the squeezed cabbage finely by hand.
- Combine the chopped cabbage, onion, eggs, breadcrumbs, cheese, nutmeg and salt. Mix thoroughly.
- Shape into 8 patties. Chill for 20 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the patties for 4 minutes per side, until deeply browned and firm all the way through.
Notes
- Squeeze the blanched cabbage thoroughly dry. Cabbage holds a surprising amount of water; skipping this step leaves the mixture too wet to hold together in the pan.
- Chop the cabbage by hand rather than blending it. A food processor turns it to paste, losing the texture that distinguishes these patties from a dense vegetable mash.
- Chill the shaped patties before frying, so the egg and breadcrumbs have time to firm the mixture up before it meets the heat.
- Leftover patties reheat well in a hot, dry pan for a few minutes per side.
Ingredient substitutions
- Savoy cabbage can be swapped for regular white cabbage, blanched the same way.
- Any hard, well-flavoured cheese works.
- Serve with a simple mustard sauce or mashed potatoes.
From Christoph Mayer