Koenigsberger Klopse is one of the most popular and traditional dishes in Germany, especially in Berlin. The origin of this dish is East Prussia, with its capital Koenigsberg. Since 1946, the city of Koenigsberg is called Kaliningrad and is, as an exclave, a part of Russia. Until 1945, Berlin was the capital of the state of Prussia. Therefore, Königsberger Klopse became one of Berlin’s famous dishes. It is a “must have” menu item in every traditional restaurant in Berlin; even in Michelin-star awarded restaurants you can find modern interpretations of this dish. A survey found that 93% of the German population know Koenigsberger Klopse. Thereby, it is the most common traditional meal in Germany.

Recipe (serves 4-6 people):

Note: For our in-flight catering Berlin menu, we use small young potatoes or Grenaille potatoes. For cooking at home, regular waxy potatoes will be fine.

Ingredients

Meatballs:

• 800 grams (28 ounce) Ground Beef
• 100 grams (3.5 ounces) Breadcrumbs
• 150 grams (5.3 ounces) White Onion, finely diced (keep the leftovers from dicing)
• 1 Large Egg
• 2 teaspoons Salt and Fresh-Ground Pepper

Boiling Stock:

• 3 liters (quart) Water
• 2 tablespoons Salt
• 5 Allspice Corns
• 5 Juniper Corns
• 2 Bay Leafs
• Leftover Onion

Sauce:

• 50 grams (1.8 ounces) Butter
• 50 grams (1.8 ounces) All-Purpose Flour
• ½ cup White Wine
• 1 Lemon, juiced
• 800 mL (3.5 cups) Beef Stock
• 250 mL (1 cup) Heavy Cream
• 50 grams (1.8 ounces) Canned Small Caper (or more to taste)
• 3 tablespoons Caper Liquid (from the can)
• 2 tablespoons sugar (or more to taste)
• 10 grams Parsley, finely chopped

Garnish:

• 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds) Young Potatoes or Grenaille Potatoes
• 10 grams Parsley, finely chopped
• 25 grams (1 ounce) butter
• Parsley leaves
• Canned Caperberries, with stem
• Salt
• 1 jar Pickled Beetroot

Preparation

Boiling stock:

• Pour water into a medium-sized pot, add other stock ingredients and bring to boil.

Meatballs:

• Put ground beef into mixing bowl, add the other ingredients and mix well.
• Form golf ball-sized balls (about 80 grams [2.8 ounces])
• Put meatballs carefully into boiling stock. Boil for 5 minutes, then simmer for 10 more minutes.
• Take meatballs out of stock and put them on the side.
• Strain stock through a strainer and put 800 mL on the side for sauce. (The leftover stock can be frozen for later use. For example, for preparing soup or sauce.)

Sauce:

• Heat a saucepan over medium heat to melt butter. Add flour and cook for a minute, while constantly stirring with a whisk.
• Add white wine, lemon juice and beef stock. Boil for two minutes, then add heavy cream.
• Add remaining ingredients and let simmer for 2 minutes, while constantly stirring.
• Put meatballs into sauce and keep hot until serving.

Garnish:

• Peel potatoes and boil in salt water until soft.
• Melt butter in a pan, add boiled potatoes and mix with chopped parsley.
• Strain pickled beetroot and put into a bowl for serving.
• Arrange the components on a plate, and garnish with parsley leaves and caperberries.

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Questions?

If you have any questions about this article, contact Joern Fette at post@aviation-catering.de.

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