Leberknödel — Austria

Leberknödel are dumplings made from ground liver bound with bread, egg, and seasoning, shaped by hand and cooked either by poaching in broth or by frying. They are eaten across German-speaking Central Europe and in parts of the Czech Republic, with beef liver as the most common base. In Austria, the dumplings are strongly associated with soup: shaped smaller than elsewhere, they are simmered directly in beef broth and served as Leberknödelsuppe, a starter found on menus well beyond any single region of the country. Some cooks mix in a portion of spleen alongside the liver, in roughly a one-to-three ratio, for a softer texture. Stale bread, softened in milk or water, is combined with the ground liver, eggs, chopped parsley, and spices such as nutmeg or marjoram, then bound into a batter firm enough to hold its shape. Using two spoons dipped in water, portions of the mixture are formed into dumplings and dropped into gently simmering broth, where they cook through in a matter of minutes rather than being boiled hard. Because of their soft, loose texture, the poached dumplings are meant to be eaten soon after cooking rather than kept or reheated; a firmer, longer-keeping version is made by shaping the same batter into small patties and frying them in lard instead of poaching them in broth.