Green spelt patties

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 200 g green spelt, whole
• 400 ml vegetable stock
• 1 m.-sized onion(s)
• 1 clove(s) garlic
• 1 small carrot(s)
• 75 g Gouda, grated
• 1 egg(s)
• e.g. breadcrumbs or panko flour
• salt and pepper
• Cumin powder
• Coriander powder
• Paprika powder
• 1 tsp mustard
• Rapeseed oil for frying
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp parsley, chopped

Instructions

Working time approx. 50 minutes; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours

Vegetarian

Add the green spelt to the boiling broth and simmer on low heat for about 40 minutes, until tender. Strain any remaining liquid. Purée the soft-cooked green spelt with a hand blender, but don’t mash it (just make it a bit smaller; it’s fine to keep the kernels whole and it will have more bite). Let the mixture cool slightly. In the meantime, chop the garlic and onion very finely, ideally using a food processor (the smaller the mince, the better). Peel the carrot and cut it into small cubes. Sauté the garlic and onion mixture with the diced carrot in hot olive oil until translucent (do not let it burn). Add this mixture to the green spelt, combine with the egg, cheese, and spices, and mix thoroughly. If the mixture seems too moist, add breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs as needed and mix again (it shouldn’t be too dry or too wet). Return the mixture to the refrigerator for another 15 minutes. With wet hands, form about 8-10 meatballs/patties. Let them cool briefly before frying; this will help them cook better. Heat rapeseed oil in a pan and fry the meatballs for about 4 minutes on each side, then transfer to a paper towel and let them drain. Don’t be too sparing with the oil, or they won’t turn out as well. Serve with boiled potatoes and spinach with a yogurt dip. You normally use ground spelt for the meatballs, but I prefer to use whole spelt for mine. If you use ground spelt, you can skip the hand blender part.