Milzschnitten
Milzschnitten, also known in Italian as crostini di milza in brodo, are crisp toasted bread slices spread with savoury spiced spleen paste, served floating in hot beef broth.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 380 kcal
Equipment
- •Sharp-edged tablespoon
- •Mixing bowl
- •Frying pan
- •Soup pot
- •Ladle
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- fat
- 20 g
- carbs
- 28 g
- fibre
- 2 g
- protein
- 22 g
- calories
- 380 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Slit the spleen open lengthwise and scrape out the soft pulp using a metal spoon, completely discarding the outer membrane.
- 2
Melt 15 g of butter in a frying pan over gentle heat.
- 3
Add the chopped onion and garlic, cooking until softened and translucent without browning.
- 4
Transfer the cooked onion mixture to a bowl and leave it to cool completely.
- 5
Add the scraped spleen, egg, remaining softened butter, breadcrumbs, parsley, marjoram, nutmeg, salt, and pepper to the bowl.
- 6
Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a smooth, cohesive paste.
- 7
Spread the spleen paste generously over one side of each bread slice, smoothing the surface evenly.
- 8
Melt the clarified butter in a wide frying pan over medium heat.
- 9
Place the bread slices paste-side down into the pan and fry for three minutes until deep golden and set.
- 10
Flip the slices carefully and fry the bread side for one minute until crisp and toasted.
- 11
Divide the fried slices among warm soup bowls and ladle the hot beef broth gently around them.
- 12
Scatter fresh chives over the broth and serve immediately while the bread remains crisp.
Chef's tips
Scraping the spleen with the edge of a spoon is the traditional and most effective way to separate the tender pulp from the tough sinew. Keep the beef broth piping hot so it warms the croutons instantly without making them soggy.
Ingredient substitutions
- fresh calf or beef spleen → calf or beef liver, finely minced, though the flavour profile will be sweeter and less traditional
- clarified butter → a mix of equal parts unsalted butter and mild cooking oil to prevent scorching
Storage
Store any unmounted raw spleen paste in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Reheating
Reheat leftover fried croutons on a dry baking tray at 180 degrees C for five minutes before placing in fresh hot broth.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Leaving fragments of the tough outer membrane in the paste, which creates an unpleasant chewy texture.
- •Frying over excessive heat, which burns the surface of the paste before cooking the centre.
- •Pouring broth directly over the croutons rather than ladling it around them, which softens the crisp crust instantly.
Serving suggestions
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