Beef Soup with Meatballs

For the beef soup, start the broth first. Put the meat on the bone into a large pot, cover with cold water and slowly bring to a boil. Carefully skim off the foam that forms so the broth stays clear.

Wash and peel the carrot, parsley root and celeriac, halve the onion with its skin on and dry-roast it in a pan until golden for colour and flavour.

Add the prepared vegetables, roasted onion, bay leaf, allspice and salt to the pot. Lower the heat and let it simmer covered for about 2 hours, until the meat is tender.

Strain the finished broth through a fine sieve. Cut the meat picked off the bone into cubes, slice the returned carrot into rounds and set both aside.

Put the ground beef into a bowl and add the egg, breadcrumbs, pressed garlic, chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Work it into a smooth cohesive mixture and let it rest in the fridge for 10 minutes.

With dampened hands, shape small meatballs the size of a walnut. The batch makes about 24, so count on 4 per portion.

Bring the strained broth to a gentle simmer and carefully drop in the meatballs. Cook them for 10 minutes, until they float to the surface and are cooked through.

Add the soup noodles and cook for another 4 minutes until soft. Finally return the diced meat with the carrot and season the soup with salt to taste.

Ladle the finished soup into bowls so that each gets meatballs and pieces of meat. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve hot with a slice of bread.