Berlin meatballs

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g minced meat, mixed (beef and pork)
• 1 large onion(s) , or 2 small ones
• 1 egg(s)
• 1 roll, old wheat roll (at least 1 day old)
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 1 tsp paprika powder
• Oil or margarine

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 20 minutes

loose and spicy

Place the roll in a bowl of warm water so that it absorbs all the water and softens. I always keep leftover breakfast rolls from the bakery in a paper bag in the pantry – they keep for a very long time and can then be used for the meatball dough when needed. (But don’t use pre-baked rolls, as they don’t absorb water well – use proper bakery rolls instead.) Place the minced meat in a bowl with an egg, a finely chopped onion, and the seasoning. Once the roll has softened, squeeze out bits of it in your hand so that as little liquid as possible remains in the roll. Add the squeezed mixture to the bowl. Knead everything by hand until it forms a homogenous mixture and all the ingredients are well blended. Season to taste and add more seasoning if necessary. Heat the oil in a pan until nice and hot. Form the minced meat dough into eight equal-sized balls, then carefully flatten them and place them in the very hot pan. It’s important that the meatballs get a nice brown color! When you see that the meatballs are nice and brown on the bottom and are also starting to brown around the edges, turn them over. Now fry them until you feel them firm when you press on them with the flat of a fork. If they are still soft, they are still raw on the inside. If they are already brown on the outside but still feel soft when pressed with a fork, continue to simmer on a low heat so that they do not burn. Adding the old roll is much better than using breadcrumbs, for example, because the meatballs become much lighter. If you are making more meatballs, do not put the leftovers in the fridge but place them on a plate at room temperature and cover with aluminum foil. In the fridge, the meatballs lose their flavor and become too hard. And another tip: You can wonderfully toss cooked pasta and/or mushrooms in the pan in which you fried the meatballs. With a little cream, the meat juices become a really delicious sauce.