Food! [The thread that started this section]

Dinner of champions.

Cold tin of baked beans, about 1/4 a bottle of Tobasco, a shitload of Cayenne powder and ground chillies.

Mhmm.
 
Dinner of champions.

Cold tin of baked beans, about 1/4 a bottle of Tobasco, a shitload of Cayenne powder and ground chillies.

Mhmm.

Hate to be following you into the toilet later.
 
The first cold nights have come and winter gets close.

So my dinner tonight is THE traditional winter meal of Northern Germany: "Gr?nkohl mit Pinkel". I guess I need to elaborate a bit on that.

Gr?nkohl is a green kind of cabbage, that has been cultivated as a vegetable especially in the north-western parts of Germany. It has been refined in breeding over centuries, so that it got its unique flavor. One particular feature of it is, that it won't lose its vitamins and sustenance even after hours of simmering.

628px-Boerenkool.jpg


The heartland of Gr?nkohl is the area around the cities of Oldenburg and Bremen, both fighting for the honor of having the best and oldest traditions, with no winner so far.

The traditional "Gr?nkohlfahrten" (Kale tours) start as soon as the first night frost has come. Gr?nkohlfahrten are social happenings, usually organized by clubs, neighborhoods or co-workers and consist of playing a Frisian street sport called "Bo?eln" (also called Klootschieten by the Dutch) in the afternoon, which is played with a hard rubber ball and involves wandering on lonely backroads for several kilometers with a handcart, in which a lot of alcoholic beverages is carried around :)

Once it got dark, you arrive at the restaurant, where the Gr?nkohl meal will take place, and you are usually frozen, very hungry and relatively drunk.

And indeed there is nothing more delicious and satisfying, than a Gr?nkohl meal, when you're frozen, very hungry and a little drunk. It's hearty and substantial and the one who manages to eat the most, is named "Kohlk?nig" (Kale King). That winner usually has the duty to organize next year's tour. A typical Gr?nkohl meal looks like this:

Gruenkohl.jpg


South Germans are usually completely ignorant of Gr?nkohl.

Since I was not born where I live now, I was completely overwhelmed by that Gr?nkohl tradition, when I arrived, and have taken it into my heart ever since. Even the German army troops here organize Kohlfahrten. I'm a huge fan of it and cooking it is really easy.

You take the Kale (which is available frozen and in a picked state in every supermarket here), melt some lard in a pot, add some hacked onions and some broth, put the Kale in, add some salt, pepper, nutmeg and mustard and that's all. The rest is about 3 hours of simmering at low temperatures with occasional stirring. After a while you can put the sausages in, if you like. You can also add belly of pork, if you want to give it some more taste. The final ingredient is oat grouts to thicken the whole thing up (those are the white little dots).

Gr?nkohl is served here with two kinds of sausages: Pinkel, a local speciality and pork sausage. Also in most parts you get Kasseler meat with it, and belly of pork.

Now I could tell you how I stood at the stove and prepared the Gr?nkohl over hours but truth to be said, I am too lazy for it, so I buy it ready to eat from a local butcher shop, that serves it in their own restaurant and fills it up in cans for everyone to buy.

All I did, is boil the potatoes and put in the sausages. Tastes the same as in the best Gr?nkohl restaurant, and only takes an hour to prepare :) Gr?nkohl tastes best, when it is reheated anyway. Because only then does it get the pulpy consistency, as shown below.

4117218425_5aa0196d09_o.jpg


If you are into good, traditional and hearty plain fare, you will love it.
 
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I love Gr?nkohl ... but IMHO you are doing it wrong. Kale goes beautifully just with (pre-grilled) minced meat(beef& pig), cooked for just half an hour in some stock (kale of course), some pepper and salt ... and off you are. Much simpler, IMO a much better taste of just pure Kale and Meat ... and it doesn?t look like vomit ;)

And now for something completly different ... my lunch today ...

http://img504.imageshack.**/img504/7577/koefte.jpg

It?s called Koefte ... wich are basically tasty lamb meatballs somewhere from the east ... usally served on rice :rolleyes: with salad and Tzatziki ...
I know the picture doesn?t really show it ... but it was awsome ... and dead cheap for such a huge heap of stuff (6 Euros). Especially the salad won me over ...
 
The ingredients do add up to a tasty meal, even if the picture quality is low. How much did it cost you?
 
I love Gr?nkohl ... but IMHO you are doing it wrong. Kale goes beautifully just with (pre-grilled) minced meat(beef& pig), cooked for just half an hour in some stock (kale of course), some pepper and salt ... and off you are. Much simpler, IMO a much better taste of just pure Kale and Meat ... and it doesn?t look like vomit ;)

You are aware that this is sacrilege around here? :blink:

Are from northern Germany, too? :)
 
You are aware that this is sacrilege around here? :blink:
No ... I?m just a culinary rebel without a cause clue ... ;)
Are from northern Germany, too? :)
West is prob the correct orientation ... but as all north from Frankfurt is considerd "north germany" by Schwaben and Bayern (I can?t be botherd to look "schwaben" up now) ... North can be right too :)
 
No ... I?m just a culinary rebel without a cause clue ... ;)

It's like serving Wei?wurst with noodles and ketchup to a Bavarian.

Just so you know, if you ever come here and spread your ideas ;)
 
That can has been collecting dust already... :mrgreen:

But look what I've found in my cupboard. Do we want to add it to the Wei?wurst meal? :D

4120360996_aa76a4098d_b.jpg
 
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I love Gr?nkohl ... but IMHO you are doing it wrong. Kale goes beautifully just with (pre-grilled) minced meat(beef& pig), cooked for just half an hour in some stock (kale of course), some pepper and salt ... and off you are. Much simpler, IMO a much better taste of just pure Kale and Meat ... and it doesn?t look like vomit ;)

And now for something completly different ... my lunch today ...

http://img504.imageshack.**/img504/7577/koefte.jpg

It?s called Koefte ... wich are basically tasty lamb meatballs somewhere from the east ... usally served on rice :rolleyes: with salad and Tzatziki ...
I know the picture doesn?t really show it ... but it was awsome ... and dead cheap for such a huge heap of stuff (6 Euros). Especially the salad won me over ...

Are those chips/fries on the side?
 
Are those chips/fries on the side?
yes they are. Like I said, it usally comes with rice on the side ... but they always ask "rice or fries" ... a no-brainer for me :mrgreen:

That can has been collecting dust already... :mrgreen:
... and I found out that it?s been off for half a year now too ... :lol:

Time for a complete kitchen-food inventory tomorrow ...
But look what I've found in my cupboard. Do we want to add it to the Wei?wurst meal? :D[...]
Now that?s something I?ve never seen in a can before ... :blink:
 
Now that?s something I?ve never seen in a can before ... :blink:

You can also buy it in supermarkets here but that can in the picture is from the same butcher, where I buy the Gr?nkohl from. It's basically home-cooked and then filled into cans. Delicious :)

I grew up with home-made sausage and meat spread, btw. My grandma knew some farmers who produced a limited amount and sold it to good friends. I really miss that. You don't find such stuff in shops and not in towns in general. But even in the country you don't get your hands on it, unless you know the right folks...
 
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It's not like the dish is that hard to make. Put Kale in pan, add water (about 3/4 of the cabbage should be submerged), stew for 25 mins over medium to low heat. Place peeled potatoes on cabbage, stew for another 25-30 mins. Bash the shit out of it, add vinegar and/ or mustard to taste, done. Great with smoked sausage. For extra awesomeness, you can add diced, smoked bacon together with the potatoes.
 
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