Ever get a hankering for bratwurst?
As I write this, we’re still in the sheltering-in-place routine. Am I tired of it? Heck, yes. But I’m not willing to risk going out yet. My doctor has told me that older folks (like me) should stay home until there is a vaccine. Oh my. Is that ever a depressing thought. That’s more than 6 months away. I can’t wrap my head around that possibility. So I’m staying at home and trying not to think more than 1-2 days ahead.
It was a few weeks ago that I was watching Joanne Weir’s Plate and Places (PBS). In that episode she visited Germany, chugged some lager with the locals, and then came home to make veal brats and her version of a cabbage dish to go with it. Since they kind-a go together I’m giving you both recipes in the one post.
My problem was getting the brats. Since I’m not going out, I had to rely on my neighbor to go for me, and there are only a couple of stores locally that carry good veal brats (other than the bulk-made grocery store variety that I don’t think are very authentic). My neighbor, Josee, was kind enough to say she’d go to one particular independent market for me. I had her get the brats and a bunch of Italian sausage (the latter vacuum sealed in one-sausage-per-pkg that’s in the freezer). Fortunately I had cabbage and Brussels sprouts too, so I was happy to be able to prepare this dish.
What I didn’t have was the German amber beer, but I did have ordinary beer (I don’t drink beer, but my son-in-law brought some here last fall when they visited). There was one bottle left, and it was just enough.
The gist of this recipe is that once you brown the sausages in a spice toasted pan, they are braised in beer until cooked through. Then onions are added (see them perched on top of the sausage in the photo) and then served with the mustard sauce (which I forgot to photograph).
The cabbage dish was so intriguing to me because it combined regular cabbage and Brussels sprouts. But then, I love Brussels sprouts just about any old which way. But to combine them with cabbage, then flavor them with celery seeds, caraway, juniper berries and some Riesling wine? Oh yes! And butter. And the wine I didn’t use in the cabbage I had as an aperitif for several evenings in a row. I went into the wine cellar – which I knew would contain next to nothing in the Riesling department (because my DH didn’t like sweet wine), but I did find about 3 bottles. Yippee, I could make this dish!
There’s a photo at left of it cooking in the pan. As it cooked down, it became less vibrant looking, sorry to say, but it was delicious nevertheless.
What’s GOOD: everything was good. Loved having some veal brats, and I ate this for 3 days in a row. Loved the cabbage and Brussels sprouts. Actually, I liked them better on day two than the night I served them. I suppose the flavors married a bit. Which made the leftovers so much more delicious. Do make the mustard sauce too. A bit of work, but you can do it while the other stuff is cooking away.
What’s NOT: nothing really – pretty easy dishes to make if you have all the ingredients.
BEER BRAISED SAUSAGES: printer-friendly PDF and MasterCook 15/16 file (click link to open recipe)
CABBAGE and BRUSSELS SPROUTS: printer-friendly PDF and MasterCook 15/16 file (click link to open recipe)
* Exported from MasterCook *
Beer Braised Sausages with Mustard Sauce
Recipe By: Joanne Weir, her TV program “Plates and Places”
Serving Size: 4
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon dill seed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pounds bratwurst — uncooked veal type, or other sausages– hot or sweet Italian
2 large yellow onions — thinly sliced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Kosher salt to taste
2 cups beer — amber (German)
HONEY MUSTARD SAUCE:
1/2 cup stone ground mustard
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons beer
1 Pinch cayenne
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice — or more
NOTE: If possible use German beer.
1. Place the mustard seeds, caraway seeds and dill seeds in a mortar and crush them gently with a pestle.
2. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the sausages, turning occasionally, until golden on both sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool slightly. Using a pin, prick the sausages several times.
3. Over medium heat, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and add the spices, onions, brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and translucent and begin to take on some golden brown color, about 20 to 30 minutes. Place the bratwurst on top of the onions and pour the beer over the bratwurst. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, covered, until the bratwurst are completely cooked, about 20 to 25 minutes.
4. In the meantime, place all of the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
5. With tongs, remove the bratwurst from the pan and place on a platter. Cover with foil to keep warm. Increase the heat to high and cook until the onions are almost dry, 3 to 4 minutes. Place the onions on top of the bratwurst and serve with the Stoneground Honey Mustard Sauce.
– – –
Braised Cabbage and Brussels Sprouts Slaw
Recipe By: Joanne Weir, Plates and Places TV show
Serving Size: 4
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon caraway seeds — crushed
6 juniper berries — crushed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 pound Brussels sprouts — halved
1 1/2 cups Riesling wine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 head cabbage — red or green, 1-inch dice
1. Place the celery seeds and the caraway seeds in a mortar and with a pestle, gently grind the seeds.
2. Warm the oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook, stirring and shaking the pan occasionally, until the Brussels sprouts are golden on the cut side, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add 3/4 cup of the Riesling and continue to cook until the Brussels sprouts are almost cooked and the Riesling has evaporated, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside in a large bowl.
3. Melt the butter in the frying pan over medium high heat. Add the cabbage, celery, caraway, and junipers berries and cook just until the cabbage begins to wilt, about 4 minutes. Add the remaining 1/2 cup Riesling and cook until the Riesling has evaporated, about 4 minutes.
4. Over medium high heat, add the Brussels sprouts to the cabbage and toss gently together. Cook until hot, 2 minutes.
Per Serving: (not accurate as it assumes you’re drinking the wine, not simmering it off in the pan) 265 Calories; 10g Fat (47.0% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 21g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 15mg Cholesterol; 33mg Sodium; 9g Total Sugars; 0mcg Vitamin D; 61mg Calcium; 2mg Iron; 447mg Potassium; 77mg Phosphorus.
hddonna
said on June 1st, 2020:
This sounds so good! I like the addition of all those flavors and spices to the cabbage and brussels sprouts. I have never had veal brats and am not sure I’d be able to find them, but I will be making this with my own favorites very soon. The mustard sauce sounds good, too. I bought brats and Italian sausage last week, but I cooked the brats and froze the Italian sausage! Otherwise I think I would be making this for supper tomorrow.
Are regular grocery store brats made with beef? Or pork? I really don’t know. I never buy them because I didn’t like the flavorings when I did buy them, eons ago. The dish was delicious, and the leftovers were almost better than when I ate them the first time! . . .carolyn t
hddonna
said on June 2nd, 2020:
The brats I’ve seen have always been made with pork, as far as I know–I’ll have to check the ingredient list next time. I’m going to try the cabbage and brussels sprouts recipe and the mustard sauce for some corned beef we’re having for supper tonight.