Get comfort from home: German Pancake soup or Flädlesuppe

I am a schwabe, do you know what a schwabe is? Swabia consists of much of the present-day state of Baden-Württemberg Germany, but the people that live in the western region of Baden are not schwaben, they are Badener.

Already confused?
It’s pretty easy just think about Porsche, Mercedes, Black Forest cake, Black Forest ham or kirsch and not to forget spaetzle.
We are often called thrifty, because a good schwab does never put good food in the garbage. 
This is reflected in out cooking. We use easy and relatively cheap ingredients and work our magic. 

Give us Eggs, water a little salt and we go crazy.

In the next few weeks I will try to give you a little glimpse into the schwaben kitchen.
Today there will be a soup that is so important that no weeding in our family would happen without it.

First you will need to make a good Fleischbrühe ( Meat Broth ), we use Beef for this but if you want to use a chicken or veal that is fine too. You can even use a broth from the store that is fine, if I cook this in the middle of the week for a fast dinner I do too. 

The broth will take a little time but it will be worth it. you can cook some more and freeze it. it will refrigerate for 2 Days without a problem and if you freeze it you can hold onto it for up to 3 months.

Fleischbrühe (meat broth)

Ingredients

1kg meaty beef soup bones
3 ½ L water
8 whole black peppercorns
1 Bay leaf
2 Cloves
2 tablespoons Salt
2 Leek; trimmed, cut in chunks
5 carrots, cut in chunks
2 turnips or Parsley roots, cut in chunks
2 stalks celery, cut in half
1 onion cut in half ( don’t peel it )

place a small pan onto the stove and lay the onion cut side down into the dry pan. Put the heat on and roast the onion until the bottom is black. Don’t panic it will smell a little but this will give the broth a deeper flavour and colour without you having to roast all the bones and veggies. Let the onion cool enough to be touch. Now lay the bay leave over one side of the onion and pin it onto the skin using the cloves as thumbtacks. This way you will not have to search for them.
Wash and clean not to forget cut everything and put it into a big and I mean big pot. Cover with the water, bring to a boil and skim foam from surface until clear.
Now the hardest part is done. Reduce heat and let everything simmer for at least 2 hours better 3.
Strain broth, discarding meat scraps, bones and cooked vegetables. season to taste with salt and pepper.
Now you can let it cool and refrigerate to be able to take of the fat. 
I don’t do it. If you feel it’s too much fat just skim it off like you did with the foam.

Now it’s time to learn how to make Fladle. If you can make crepe you can make Flädle.

Flädle

Ingredients

400 g flour 
4 eggs
1/4 l milk 
1/4 l cold water
½ teaspoon salt
Fat for frying

Chives for sprinkling


Mix the flour and milk and water, then add the eggs and salt. The batter should be a little dicker than a crepe batter.

Put a little fat into the pan and heat it up. As soon as the fat is hot, hold the skillet at a slight angle and pour on ladle of batter into is. Now you have to be fast, you have to roll the batter around in the pan to cover the whole bottom with a thin layer.

As soon as the bottom of the pancake is done and starts to get colour loosen the edges and flip. Put it onto a plate and bake the next one. At the end you will have a lovely little pancake tower.

Take 2 or 3 Pancakes and roll them up and cut them into small stripes.

Now you have Flädle.

Bring the broth to a boil. Add Flädle into a deep plate or bowl now sprinkle with some chives and ad a ladle of broth.

Please don’t add the Flädle to soon into the broth they will become soggy and all your work will be for nothing.

Tip: We always keep a few pancakes and fill them with Nutella or Jam for dessert.

Kids love it. you can even make it ahead, since it all gets heated with the broth.

Give it a try and let me know if you liked it. I hope we see us in the next session.