carraway seeds
Two mouthwatering cabbage recipes
German braised pork with curry and flat bread
In the 3. week of November the Wittelsbach square in Münich, Germany is being transformed into a Medieval city. Then it operates as an entertainment centre until Christmas. Beside the all kinds of gifts one can buy there, you may find excellent food stalls and bars for mulled wine. But what is really worth to taste (beside the games, wild boar, fish dishes) is a divine stew meal with saurkraut. It is called the Poor knight’s dinner (which is so rich in fat, that man can store up enough energy in the cold winter) and stylishly it is served in a crock pot with a flat bread. Just one more word to add: It’s too bad that you can’t feel the flavour of the food through the internet!
The recipe
Ingredients: 1 kg of pork tenderloin, 2 dl oil for cooking, 2 onions, prepared or self-made white sour cabbage, 200 gr speck (if it is made at home then you need vinegar or white wine, sugar, carraway seeds, salt and pepper to taste and oil for cooking) pepper, salt, carraway (grounded), 1 teaspoon curry, chicken stock
Cut the pork into big pieces about the length of your thumb. Heat the oil in a large casserole. Chop the onions fine. Fry the pork first then the onions until fragrant. Flavour with carraway and curry. Pour over a bit of water then add chicken stock, give it a stir. Cover, then braise on the hot plate about half an hour. Take the lid off and carry on the cooking, uncovered. The meat should be completely tender, turning golden brown.
Heat a bit of butter in an other pan, soaté the cut into pieces speck. Add speck to prepared sour cabbage. Then add cabbage and speck to the stew, turn up the heat and cook everything together for 5-10 minutes. Cook flat bread (buy fladen, pita or chapati bread from some local food store) on the skillet then put directly on a high flame, which makes it blow up like a balloon. Place flat bread into the crock pot, spoon over stew and enjoy!
My Chinese cabbage salad
The other cabbage recipe is my own invention. All right it’s not completely true because my muse was my Japanese sister-in-law, Shizuka. She visited me in this summer and one evening she did the cooking. Among other delicious courses she made a special Japanese cabbage salad (from Chinese cabbage). Later when I tried it I changed a bit on the recipe and the sesame oil with the Ajipon sauce did the trick and gave a real authentic Japanese flavor to the dish.
The recipe
In a small skillet, toast sesame seeds over medium heat until golden brown and fragrant.
In a small bowl, mix together sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, pepper and ramen seasoning packet. Add grated ginger and garlic. Prepare the cabbage. Add at least three spoons of Ajipon (lemon flavored soy sauce). Toss cabbage with dressing to coat evenly. Top it with toasted sesame seeds.
Good to know about cabbage
Cabbage has always been a food staple in Germany. Pickled cabbage was frequently seen already in the 16th-17th century. Saurkraut was used first by Dutch sailors to prevent scurvy during long ship voyages.
Nowadays in Germany cabbage is used in many ways, ranging from eating raw and simple steaming to pickling, stewing, sauteing or braising. Pickling is one of the most popular ways of preserving cabbage, creating dishes such as saurkraut. Savoy cabbages are usually used in salads, and it pairs well with red wine, apples, spices, horseradish and meat. But it can be used for roulades, in stews and soups, as well as roasted plain and drizzled with olive oil while smooth-leaf types are utilized for both fresh market sales and processing.
spajzgirl 