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Grünkohl mit Pinkel
Grünkohl mit Pinkel: Bremen's slow-braised kale with smoked pork, onions and Pinkel sausage
In Bremen and Oldenburg, Grünkohl mit Pinkel is the dish of the winter Kohlfahrt, when groups walk out into the frosty countryside and finish at an inn for kale, smoked pork and Pinkel, a smoked sausage of pork, bacon and oats. The kale is braised for hours with onions, lard and smoked pork until dark, soft and almost creamy, then the sausages warm through on top. Serve with boiled potatoes or small caramelised ones and mustard. The usual mistake is cooking the kale briefly like a vegetable side; it needs the long braise to lose its bitterness. Chef's tip: kale is best after the first frost, which makes the leaves sweeter; frozen chopped kale is a good shortcut.
- Total time
- 160 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 3 ⅓ lb curly kaletough stalks removed (or 1 kg frozen chopped kale)
- 2 tbsp pork lard or goose fat
- 3 onionschopped
- 2 cups vegetable or meat stock
- 14 oz smoked pork belly or Kasslerin one piece
- 3 tbsp rolled oats
- 1 tbsp medium mustard
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp saltto taste
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Wash the 3 ⅓ lb curly kale well. Blanch it in your largest pot of boiling water for 2 minutes, drain, cool a little and chop roughly. Wipe out the pot.
15 minStep 2: Melt the 2 tbsp pork lard or goose fat in the same pot over a medium heat and soften the 3 onions for 8 minutes until golden.
8 minStep 3: Add the kale in handfuls, stirring until it wilts, then pour in the 2 cups vegetable or meat stock. Bury the 14 oz smoked pork belly or Kassler in the kale.
5 minStep 4: Cover and braise very gently for 1½ hours, stirring every 20 minutes and adding a splash of water if it catches.
90 minStep 5: Stir in the 3 tbsp rolled oats, 1 tbsp medium mustard, 1 pinch ground nutmeg and ½ tsp black pepper; the oats bind the juices and make it creamy. Taste and add ½ tsp salt only if needed, as the pork is salty.
2 minStep 6: Lay the 4 Pinkel or other smoked pork sausages on top of the kale, cover and cook for 25–30 minutes more, until the sausages are hot right through (160°F).
30 minStep 7: Slice the smoked pork and serve with the sausages on the kale, with potatoes and mustard.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 690 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 46 g
- Fibre
- 10 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does grünkohl mit Pinkel take?
- About 160 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 135 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of rolled oats?
- Quick oats, same amount.
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