Maultaschen are a traditional food from Swabia, a province in southern Germany.  They are a kind of large ravioli or wonton; that is, a noodle stuffed with a meat filling.  Even though many people think they are hard to make, they are quite easy to prepare if you take your time.  

Maultaschen are usually served for lunch, which is the main meal of the day in Germany.  You can get them in any Swabian restaurant, and if you’re lucky, someone might cook them for you at home.  You can even buy frozen maultaschen at the supermarket.  

Maultaschen can be served with potato and green salad, in a chicken broth, or fried in butter.  I like to cook them because they remind me of my aunts, who would occasionally make them from scratch as a special treat. 

Maultaschen have a funny story attached to them.  According to tradition, religious Swabians are not allowed to eat meat on Fridays.  Maultaschen were supposedly invented to trick God when he looked down from heaven.  Since the meat was wrapped inside the noodle, God would not see that Swabians were really eating meat on Friday.  Whether this story is true or not, I don’t know.  All I can say is, enjoy them at your own risk!

1lb ground meat (can be turkey or pork)
1 red onion
2 Tbsp chives
½ bunch parsley
1 tsp salt
pepper
nutmeg
large wonton wrappers
2 eggs
1 dry dinner roll
2qts water

large saucepan (at least 2 qt.)
large frying pan
pastry brush
straining spoon
butter knife

First, chop the onion.  Next, soak the dinner roll with cold water and squeeze out the extra water. Mix the eggs together with 1/2 cup of water to make an egg wash.

Put some oil in the large frying pan and sauté the onion and parsley.  After that, sauté the ground meat a little bit, until it is lightly browned, mixing it together with the onion and parsley.  When you cut off the heat to the frying pan, sprinkle a pinch of nutmeg into it.  Also add ½ tsp salt and pepper to taste.

After you have browned the filling, you can prepare the wrappers.  Sprinkle some flour on the counter top or on a large, wooden cutting board.  lay out several wonton wrappers.

Using a soup spoon, put one large spoonful of the filling on each wonton wrapper.  Then cover each with a second wonton wrapper, making sure that the filling does not get too close to the edge of the wrappers.  Next, take the pastry brush, dip it into the egg wash, and brush the edges of the wrappers to seal them. 

Finally, set your large saucepan on high heat, and add 2 tsp of salt to the 2 qts of water.  Bring this to a boil.  When it is boiling, carefully (using the straining spoon), place the maultaschen into the water.  After lightly boiling them for 20 minutes, carefully lift the maultaschen out with the straining spoon.