Schwäbische Maultaschen – aka “Swabian ravioli” – Traditional Swabian food
This traditional Swabian recipe exists for generations within my family. Nowadays it is quite uncommon to make hommade “Maultaschen” since very good convinience alternatives exist in the supermarkets all around. Still we wanted to share a vegetarian Swabian ravioli recipe with you to preserve this traditional foodproduct and how to make it.
Schwäbische Maultaschen by Truefoodsblog
If you have read about Swabian Spaetzle, you might remember the distinct history and tradition connected with that recipe. This dish also has a story behind its name that is worth being told.
If you look at a whole “pocket,” you can’t see what’s inside and you don’t know for sure what you are about to eat. It is said that this was an important fact for the monks of the Cistercian Monastery in Maulbronn.
The monks developed this meal to eat during various fasting periods, and hid the meat in the pocket’s dough so that God could not see their secret filling. I would describe this as a fairly clever idea, not without a big pinch of cheekiness.
Well, one has to admit that the idea of filling pasta dough with meat or vegetable isn’t completely new. Just think about Italian ravioli or tortellini.
If you then consider that religious refugees from Northern Italy were living in area surrounding the Maulbronn Monastery, it’s possible that they could in fact be of Italian origin.
There are different variations of how to serve them, and of course you are not bound to these ideas and can create your very own pocket dish however you like.
How to do it:
- Mix the flour, ½ teaspoon salt, eggs, oil and 3 tablespoons of water and knead to a smooth dough. Cover with a moist kitchen towel and let rise for 20 minutes at room temperature.
- Peel and dice one onion, sear in 1 tbsp oil with dried thyme and rosmarin.
- Use a blender to mix paprika, baby spinach, zuchini and the onion, , breadcrumbs, salt and pepper.
- Take the dough and roll out rectangular pieces, as thin as possible. With the help of two teaspoons, spread the mixture bit by bit with some distance on the upper half of the dough. Coat the space in between with some water or egg so that everything can stick together later.
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Fold the lower half over the upper part and press between the small heaps of filling.
- Take a pastry wheel or a knife and cut pockets out of the dough. Press the edges again so that the filling won’t ooze out when cooking. The size of the “Maultaschen” is according to your preferences hereby.
- Bring either salted water or vegetable stock to boil. Let the pockets simmer at middle heat for about 10-15 minutes.
- Take the raviolis out, let it cool down and store it until you need them.
- Heat a pan with oil (middle heat) and start searing the “Maultaschen” until goldbrown.
Serve the Swabian Ravioli with seasonal salad and one of our Truefoods Dressings for example:
Schwäbische Maultaschen — Truefoodsblog
Reipe inspiration and history source: Foodal
