They are absolute classics here in Germany – Braised Cucumbers with Meatballs were always a favorite of our grandma. Nowadays, they may not be quite as hip and trendy as other dishes, but we really like braised cucumbers in a creamy sauce with some meatballs on the side. Childhood memories. And yes, me, the person writing this article here, is a little older. ;P
If you are not from Germany, you might not even have heard of braised cucumbers. As far as we know, it’s a typical Prussian dish and still popular in many areas of Germany. To make this dish, you need special cucumbers. We call them Schmorgurken, Feldgurken or Landgurken – we haven’t found the proper name for those cucumbers in English, but if you google, you will find Indian cucumbers that look very similar to the ones we have here in Germany. Not 100% sure., though.
The cucumbers for braising are a bit larger than regular green cucumbers here in Germany. They have a thicker skin and are often more yellowish-spotted than actual plain green. You can see one of them on the picture below. In theory, you can use any cucumber for this dish, but the result will be very different depending on the cucumber you use. The regular green ones are just not very good for cooking and will get very soft and mushy.
Our Schmorgurken aka. field cucumbers (or whatever they are called) are quite big in our area. Much bigger than the regular green cucumbers. But they actually come in different sizes. No matter the size, all of them will have a rougher skin and firmer flesh – which makes them perfect for cooking. Or for pickling. This type of cucumber is also great for Pickled Gherkins with Mustard Seeds. So good!
Unfortunately, the season for this type of cucumber is not very long here in Germany. July to September only in most regions. Unlike regular cucumbers, they are not available all year round. By the time we see the first ones at the farmer’s market and thinking about what to do with them, the season is usually almost over already. Unfortunately, we don’t have a garden to grow these cucumbers. There is not enough space on your little terrace to cultivate them. ;P
Anyway. The preparation of these cucumbers is quite simple. Unlike regular green cucumbers, you have to remove the skin of those field cucumbers before using them in a recipe. The skin is bitter and leathery. Leaving it on would not really taste good, and you probably have to chew a lot to get them down… The end of the cucumber where the stem was attached can also be quite bitter, so better cut that off a little more generously. In addition, you should also remove the seeds and watery insides of the cucumbers. That also does not taste good. Once all that is done, you can use the cucumber flesh in a recipe. For our braised cucumbers here, everything has been cut into bite-size pieces and then sautéed/braised in our sauce.
Field cucumbers can be used for quite a few different recipes. They are great in a stew but can also be used to make something similar to zucchini boats – you can fill them with ground meat or veggies, top them with cheese and bake them in an oven. Really nice.
Here, we braised our cucumbers here in a creamy sauce with bacon and dill. The cucumbers are then served along with some delicious meatballs and potatoes. The classic version of this dish would suggest boiled potatoes as a side, but we prefer potatoes made in an Air Fryer. Crispy instead of soft and mushy potatoes. ;P You can find quite a few variations of this dish in Germany – some cooks serve the braised cucumbers with crumbly fried minced meat instead of meatballs. Also, a very delightful dish.
If got more cucumbers than you need for this recipe, you might want to check out our recipe for the Pickled Gherkins with Mustard Seeds aka. Senfgurken. The cucumbers you use here are perfect for pickling. A great option to enjoy the veggies for an even longer time.
If you are into meatballs, we have nice recipe for Meatballs with (homemade) Mashed Potatoes in our recipe archive. Grandma and the whole family loved that too. It’s a staple in German Cuisine. Well, at least in the area we grew up. ;P
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(4 servings)
For the meatballs:
some oil or butter for frying
1 red onion, finely diced
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
17.6 oz. (500g) ground meat, mixed
1 medium egg
1 tbsp. mustard (medium-hot)
2 tbsp. chickpea couscous* or breadcrumbs
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. paprika powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
For the braised cucumbers:
some oil or butter for frying
4.4 oz. (125g) bacon, diced
2 red onions, diced
1-2 large cucumbers for cooking (about 1.2kg)
20 fl.oz. (600ml) veggie stock
1 tbsp. cornstarch (plus more if needed) + a little water
7 oz. (200g) sour cream
2-3 stalks of dill, chopped
salt, pepper
(4 Portionen)
Für die Buletten:
etwas Öl oder Butter zum Anbraten
1 rote Zwiebel, fein gewürfelt
2-3 Knoblauchzehen, fein gehackt
500g Hackfleisch, gemischt
1 Ei (M)
1 EL Senf (mittelscharf)
2 EL Kichererbsen Couscous* oder Semmelbrösel
1 TL Oregano
1/2 TL Paprikapulver
1/2 TL Salz
1/4 TL Pfeffer
Für die Schmorgurken:
etwas Öl oder Butter zum Anbraten
125g Speck, gewürfelt
2 rote Zwiebeln, fein gewürfelt
1-2 Schmorgurken (etwa 1,2kg)
600ml Gemüsebrühe
1 EL Speisestärke (ggf. etwas mehr) + etwas Wasser
200g Schmand
2-3 Stängel Dill, gehackt
Salz, Pfeffer
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Peel the onion and garlic and dice/chop finely. Add the ground beef, onion, garlic, egg, mustard, couscous, oregano, paprika powder, salt, and pepper to a large bowl and mix well. Shape the meat mixture into 12 balls, set them aside and cover them.
2. Dice the bacon. Peel and dice the onions. Peel the cucumber(s), halve them lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and cut them into bite-size pieces.
3. Add some oil or butter to a Dutch oven, heat up and fry the bacon until it starts browning. Add the onions and sauté them briefly. Next, add the cucumber pieces and sauté them as well for about 3-4 minutes. Deglaze everything with the veggie stock, cover the Dutch oven and let the cucumbers simmer for about 10 minutes at slightly reduced heat. Mix the cornstarch with a little water, add this mixture to the Dutch oven to thicken the sauce. Reduce the heat a bit further, add the sour cream and stir in. Let the cucumbers and sauce simmer gently for another 3-4 minutes.
4. While the cucumbers are simmering, heat a large frying pan with some oil or butter and fry the meatballs until nicely browned all around and cooked through.
5. Season the cucumbers with salt and pepper, add the chopped dill, and stir in. Serve the cucumbers with the fried meatballs and some potatoes or pasta on the side.
1. Die Zwiebel und den Knoblauch schälen und fein würfeln bzw. hacken. Hackfleisch, Zwiebel, Knoblauch, Ei, Senf, Couscous, Oregano, Paprikapulver, Salz und Pfeffer in eine Schüssel geben und alles gut vermengen. Die Masse in 12 Bällchen formen, abdecken und zur Seite stellen.
2. Den Speck für die Schmorgurken würfeln. Die Zwiebeln schälen und würfeln. Die Schmorgurke(n) schälen, längs halbieren, die Kerne herauskratzen und dann in etwa daumendicke Stücke schneiden.
3. Etwas Öl oder Butter in einem großen Topf erhitzen und den Speck darin auslassen. Die Zwiebeln dazugeben und kurz anschwitzen lassen. Die Gurkenstücke in den Topf dazugeben und für etwa 3-4 Minuten mit anschwitzen. Alles mit der Brühe ablöschen und dann abgedeckt etwa 10 Minuten bei leicht reduzierter Hitzezufuhr köcheln lassen. Die Speisestärke mit ein wenig Wasser glatt rühren, zum Topf dazugeben und die Soße damit etwas eindicken. Die Hitzezufuhr noch einmal reduzieren und dann den Schmand dazugeben und einrühren – für etwa 3-4 Minuten sanft köcheln lassen.
4. Während die Gurken schmoren, eine große Pfanne mit etwas Öl oder Butter erhitzen und die Fleischbällchen rundum anbraten, bis sie schön gebräunt und durchgegart sind.
5. Die Schmorgurken mit Salz und Pfeffer abschmecken, den gehackten Dill dazugeben und unterrühren. Die Schmorgurken mit den angebratenen Fleischbällchen servieren – dazu passen Kartoffeln oder auch Nudeln.
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Grandmas Braised Cucumbers with Meatballs
- Prep Time: 00:20
- Cook Time: 00:20
- Total Time: 00:50
- Yield: 4
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Germany
Description
A classic German dish that grandma used to make – Braised Cucumbers with Meatballs. Not everyone loves this dish, but we do. They are so good and a great memory.
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
some oil or butter for frying
1 red onion, finely diced
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
17.6 oz. (500g) ground meat, mixed
1 medium egg
1 tbsp. mustard (medium-hot)
2 tbsp. chickpea couscous* or breadcrumbs
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. paprika powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
For the braised cucumbers:
some oil or butter for frying
4.4 oz. (125g) bacon, diced
2 red onions, diced
1-2 large cucumbers for cooking (about 1.2kg)
20 fl.oz. (600ml) veggie stock
1 tbsp. cornstarch (plus more if needed) + a little water
7 oz. (200g) sour cream
2-3 stalks of dill, chopped
salt, pepper
Instructions
1. Peel the onion and garlic and dice/chop finely. Add the ground beef, onion, garlic, egg, mustard, couscous, oregano, paprika powder, salt, and pepper to a large bowl and mix well. Shape the meat mixture into 12 balls, set them aside and cover them.
2. Dice the bacon. Peel and dice the onions. Peel the cucumber(s), halve them lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and cut them into bite-size pieces.
3. Add some oil or butter to a Dutch oven, heat up and fry the bacon until it starts browning. Add the onions and sauté them briefly. Next, add the cucumber pieces and sauté them as well for about 3-4 minutes. Deglaze everything with the veggie stock, cover the Dutch oven and let the cucumbers simmer for about 10 minutes at slightly reduced heat. Mix the cornstarch with a little water, add this mixture to the Dutch oven to thicken the sauce. Reduce the heat a bit further, add the sour cream and stir in. Let the cucumbers and sauce simmer gently for another 3-4 minutes.
4. While the cucumbers are simmering, heat a large frying pan with some oil or butter and fry the meatballs until nicely browned all around and cooked through.
5. Season the cucumbers with salt and pepper, add the chopped dill, and stir in. Serve the cucumbers with the fried meatballs and some potatoes or pasta on the side.
Notes
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
