🇩🇪 Germany and 🇦🇹 Austria · Bavaria, Franconia and Austria

LeberknödelsuppeGerman liver dumpling soup

A clear beef broth with one or two large liver dumplings made of minced beef liver, soaked bread or rolls, egg, onion and marjoram or parsley, served as a starter and sprinkled with chives or parsley.

Origin and history

Leberknödelsuppe is described as a classic of Franconian cooking, often served as a starter and found on pub menus and at festivals. In Austria, the 1883 Wiener Kochbuch by Luise Seleskowitz listed some 80 soup garnishes; the liver dumpling is the one that remains hugely popular today.

Make it at home

Makes: 4 to 6 servings
Total time: 1 h
Hands-on: 35 min

Ingredients

Metric US

400 g14 oz beef liver, membranes removed, in pieces
3 stale bread rolls (Semmeln), diced
250 ml1 cup lukewarm milk
1 onion, finely diced, softened in a little butter
2 eggs
5 tbsp dried breadcrumbs
10 g1/3 oz chopped parsley, chopped, plus more to serve
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
2 litres8 1/2 cups clear beef broth, hot, well seasoned
salt and pepper
chives or parsley, to serve

Method

1. Soak the diced rolls in the lukewarm milk for 10 minutes until soft.
2. Soften the onion in a little butter for 5 minutes and let cool.
3. Grind or finely mince the liver (a food processor works).
4. Mix the liver, soaked rolls, onion, eggs, breadcrumbs, parsley and marjoram, season with 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper, and rest for 15 minutes.
5. Poach one small test dumpling in simmering broth for 5 minutes; if it falls apart, add a spoon of breadcrumbs, and if it is too dense, add a splash of milk.
6. Shape the mixture into 6 large dumplings with wet hands and slide them into barely simmering salted water or broth (about 90 °C / 195 °F).
7. Poach for about 25 minutes, covered, at a bare simmer, then let them stand 5 minutes off the heat.
8. Serve each dumpling in a bowl of the hot clear broth with chives or parsley.

Notes

Poach the dumplings in plain salted water if you want the broth to stay clear, or in the broth for more flavour.
Franconian recipes add about 150 g diced ham or bacon, ground with the liver; an Austrian recipe uses calf's kidney fat and cooks smaller dumplings for about 7 minutes.
Dumplings can be made ahead, frozen, and reheated in broth.
Served as a starter; crisp Backerbsen (tiny pastry balls) are sometimes scattered on top.

Adapted from Infranken, Traditionelle Leberknödelsuppe, fränkisches Rezept and Austrian Embassy, Leberknödelsuppe.