the recipe for fleischnacka, stars of Alsatian grandmothers’ stoves

The fleischnacka rarely appear on the menu of Alsatian restaurants. On the other hand, they are found in the kitchens of grandmothers. Direction Mittelbergheim (Bas-Rhin) with Nicolas Rieffel, a cooking enthusiast. Before going to the kitchen, he first went to Patrick Goettelmann, a pork producer. This is where he will find the meat he needs to make his recipe. Here the pigs are bred “three, four more months” than traditional pigs, which gives a more marbled taste to the meat. The 500 animals are, moreover, fed exclusively with cereals produced on the farm.

For the recipe of fleischnacka, Nicolas needs rabbit meat, lamb or pork. He then delves into family memories to make his recipe, listed in a 1946 book that belonged to his grandmother. You must first cook the meat in different pans then prepare the vegetables, carrots, leeks and potatoes. Then combine everything in the casserole dish and put it in the oven at 200°C for five hours. During this time, it remains to prepare the dough which, be careful, should not be too sticky. All you have to do is roll it out into a rectangle, fill it with the stuffing, then roll it up gently. Cook in a generously buttered pan, and it’s ready!