Blackforest Recipes

Black Forest WURSCHT-SALAT with fried Potatoes

Rezept von Chef Rene, The Glasschef in Bushland Park Lodge Whangamata:

Take Schinkenwurst cold Cuts from the BF Gourmet Butchery and some Gouda Cheese and cut slim stripes equally quantity.

Chop some BF Gourmet Butchery Imported Guerkens, and some pickled red pepper in it.

Mix a dressing from White Wine Vinegar, Salad Oil and BF Gourmet Butchery Green Salat Mix.Powder.

Add to the dressing some Dijon Mustard, and some brown sugar, ...mix well, ...and mix this in the Sausage Salad.

Here we are: the Black Forest WURSCHT-SALAT with fried Potatoes:

boiled jacket potatoes thinly sliced, and fried in a pan with Salt, Pepper and Nutmeg, until nicely brown and crisp.

Guten Apetit !!!!!!!!!!!!! Chef Rene.

Warm potato salad with Frankfurters

The sausages can be cooked normally or poached. If you poach sausages make sure that the water is barely simmering, cooking them too fast may burst the skins.

Ingredients:

900g new salad potatoes, scrubbed clean
400g Frankfurters OR Fleischwurst
2-3 shallots, peeled and thinly chopped
75ml extra virgin olive oil
25ml white wine vinegar
Salt and black pepper
Chives and parsley to garnish

Method:

Combine the oil, vinegar and shallots and set aside for at least 30 minutes (the shallots will soften and lose some bitterness)
Cook sausages
Simmer the Frankfurters or the Fleischwurst for about 10 minutes, slice about 3-4mm thickness.
Cook the potatoes in salted water until tender, slice equal thickness to Frankfurters/ Fleischwurst.
Season the dressing with salt and pepper, pour over the potatoes and toss them around so most of the dressing is absorbed.
Combine the potatoes and sausage, add parsley and chives, eat whilst still warm.

Sausage and tomato sauce

A quick pasta dish.

Ingredients:

500gr Spicy sausages (Debreciner, Russian Hunters, Kransky or Garlic Beerstick)
Large can chopped tomatoes
2 glasses red wine
2 tablespoons tomato puree
500g pasta shapes
1 tablespoon dried thyme or oregano
Salt and black pepper
Parmesan to serve

Method:

Chop the sausages into small pieces and cook in olive oil.
Add the wine and reduce by half
Add the chopped tomato, tomato puree and herbs
Season and simmer for 15-20 minutes
Cook the pasta and combine with the sauce.
Serve with grated parmesan.

Baked sausages with potatoes and cheese

Ingredients:

500g Thueringer Bratwurst or Schinkenknacker
750g new potatoes, sliced the thickness of a finger
1 red onion, chopped roughly
1 or 2 sweet onions, chopped roughly.
1 teaspoon of olive oil
100gr grated cheddar
Salt and black pepper

Method:

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl
Make sure that the olive oil has coated the sausages, potatoes and onions
Lightly season with salt and black pepper (the sausages will add seasoning)
Spread over a high sided baking tray
Bake in a medium oven (190degreed, gas mark 5) for 45-60 minutes, still the dish once or twice.
Cover with grated cheese and check seasoning
Once the cheese has melted serve with peas or green salad.

Glazed Bacon-wrapped Pork Sausages with Crispy Cheese Potato Skins

Ingredients:

4 Schinkenknacker
1 heaped dessertspoon Dijon mustard
1 heaped dessertspoon French coarse grain mustard
12 rashers Smoked Speck
1 level dessertspoon Demerara sugar
200 g soft cheese, such as Philadelphia
100g pack trimmed salad onions, finely sliced
1 egg yolk
1x 284g pack frozen American- style potato skins
25g Parmesan cheese
4 large tomatoes
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Method:

Begin by preparing the sausages. First measure the mustards into a bowl, mix well, then spread out each bacon rasher on a flat board and run the back of the blade of a knife firmly all along it to stretch it out as far as possible. Then spread each rasher lightly with mustard and wrap it around the sausage, using 3 rashers per sausage.

After that, mix the remaining mustard with the demerara sugar and brush some of this over the bacon. Now place the sausages on a baking tray, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart, then pop them into the oven on a high shelf and put a timer on for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in another bowl, combine the soft cheese, sliced salad onions and egg yolk, mixing thoroughly and seasoning well with salt and pepper. Then spread the mixture thickly over the potato skins (no need to defrost them), finishing off with a sprinkling of parmesan. Now arrange these on the other baking tray, then, finally, take a slice off the rounded end of each tomato, season, then spread the rest of the mustard over each one.

As soon as the 10 minutes is up, place the tomatoes alongside the sausages, then place the tray of potato skins on the shelf underneath. Now give everything another 10 minutes' timing. Then swap the trays around, putting the potatoes on the higher shelf, give everything another 10 minutes' cooking and after that, supper for four will be ready to serve, garnished with sprigs of watercress if you like.

Piperade

Ingredients:

10g Butter
1 dessertspoon olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped small
1 or 2 cloves garlic, crushed
450g firm tomatoes, skinned, de-seeded and chopped into 1 cm cubes
2 green peppers, de-seeded and chopped
½ level teaspoon chopped basil
4 large fresh eggs
salt and freshly milled black pepper

For the garnish:
2 Debrecines sausages cut into rounds and lightly fried in butter
100g Blackforest Ham , lightly sautéed in a little butter.

Method:

Melt the butter and olive oil in the pan and add the onions, cooking them very gently for 10 minutes without browning. Now add the crushed garlic, tomatoes and peppers, stir everything around a little, season with salt and pepper and basil, and cook without covering for another 20 minutes or so (the peppers should be slightly underdone).

Now beat the eggs thoroughly, pour them into the pan and, using a wooden spoon, stir just as you would for scrambled eggs. When the mixture starts to thicken and the eggs are almost cooked, remove the pan from the heat, continuing to stir, and serve immediately (as with scrambled eggs, do be very careful not to overcook). Serve in the centre of the plate with the sausage rounds and ham slices around the edge.

Warm Spinach Salad with Poached Eggs, Bacon and Smoked Bratwurst or Kransky

Ingredients:

100g ready-washed young leaf spinach, plus a few springs of watercress
4 large, fresh eggs
2 Smoked Bratwurst or Kransky
12 rashers Smoked Speck
1 small onion, peeled
50g fresh mushrooms
2 slices white bread, crust removed
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons dry sherry
1 ½ tablespoons sherry vinegar
Freshly milled black pepper

Method:

You need to begin this by preparing everything in advance. The onion, mushrooms and bacon rashers need to be finely chopped into ¼ inch (5 mm) pieces; the sausage should also be chopped, but fractionally larger. Then cut the bread into ¼ inch (5 mm) cubes (croutons) and arrange the spinach and watercress on two large plates, removing any large stalky bits first.

Now poach the eggs (see How to poach an egg, below) and, while they're sitting in the hot water, take a medium-sized, heavy-based frying pan and heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in it until it's very hot and gives off a fine haze. Then fry the croutons, tossing them around in the pan, until they're crisp and golden brown – about 1-2 minutes – and after that remove them to drain on some kitchen paper.

Now add the rest of the oil to the pan and, again, let it get really hot before adding the prepared bacon, onion and sausage. Toss them all around, keeping the heat high to make everything brown and toasted at the edges.

After 4 minutes, add the chopped mushrooms and toss these around, still keeping the heat high, for about 2 minutes. Finally, season with freshly milled black pepper, add the sherry and sherry vinegar to the pan, giving it a few seconds to bubble and reduce. Then transfer the eggs to sit on top of the spinach and watercress, pour the contents of the pan over everything and sprinkle the croutons on top.

Four Star Salad
(Blackforest Beef or Meisterschinken)

Ingredients:

200gr Blackforest Beef sliced or 250g Meisterschinken
1 medium lettuce
100g fresh mushrooms
2 ripe avocados
4 spring onions, finely chopped

For the dressing:
150ml Sour Cream
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 level teaspoon mustard powder
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Method:

Begin by combining the soured cream with the garlic, mayonnaise and mustard powder. Then mix together the oil, vinegar and lemon juice and gradually add these to the soured cream mixture, tasting and seasoning with some salt and pepper.

Now cut the sliced Blackforest Beef into small stripes Next break up the lettuce leaves and arrange them in a salad bowl: wipe and thinly slice the mushrooms (don't take the skins off) and add these to the lettuce pieces. Finally prepare the avocados by removing the stones and peeling them, then cutting them into ½ in (1 cm) cubes. Add these to the lettuce and mushrooms with the strips of garlic sausage.

Mix it all together gently, then add the dressing and toss again very gently. Sprinkle the chopped spring onions all over the surface and serve straight away. This is nice served with home-made wholemeal bread.

Braised red cabbage

This is a traditional accompaniment for Thueringer Bratwurst. It is also excellent with The Grillers, mash and gravy. It keeps well and can be easily reheated. Sultanas and orange zest are optional but give a festive note to the dish.

Ingredients:

A red cabbage weighing around 1 kg, cored and shredded
1 large onion, chopped
1 or 2 cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped
A handful of sultanas (optional)
A strip of orange zest (optional)
3 rashers thick smoked speck, rinded and chopped
50 ml red wine vinegar or 25 ml balsamic vinegar
250 ml cooking liquid (either stock, wine, cider or water)
A tablespoon of butter
2 bay leaves
Spices - this dish is fine without any spices but if you want to add some, you could try a small teaspoon containing a mixture of allspice, ground cinnamon and grated nutmeg, 5 whole cloves or 3 crushed juniper berries Salt and black pepper

Method:

Venison sausage casserole with herbs and red wine

Serve this as upmarket sausage and mash with braised red cabbage (see recipe).

You can use juniper berries in this recipe, they have a very strong taste which can dominate this dish so use them sparingly and only if you like gin!

Ingredients:

500 g Venison Bratwurst
200 g smoked speck, chopped
200 g chopped chestnut mushrooms
1 large onion or 200g shallots, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
Half a bottle (375 ml) of red wine or 375 ml beef stock
2 bay leaves
1 scant teaspoon lightly bruised juniper berries (optional)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme (or half dried)
1 tablespoon plain flour
25 g butter
2 rounded tablespoons of rowan, crab apple or redcurrant jelly
Salt and black pepper

Method:

Use a large, heavy pan or casserole to brown the sausages in olive oil for 10 minutes
Remove sausages
Add onion, garlic and bacon to pan and cook for around 10 minutes
Stir in the flour until the juices are absorbed
Add red wine and herbs
Bring contents to a simmer, put the lid on and simmer gently on the lowest setting for 15 minutes
Add mushrooms and cook with lid removed for 10-15 minutes
If the sauce is runny, reduce sauce by cooking rapidly. Once sauce has thickened return sausages
Add 25 g butter (optional)
Check seasoning (you may not need salt if the smoked speck is salty)
Add fruit jelly and once this has melted serve with mashed potato.

Garlic Beerstick and scrambled eggs

A tasty brunch dish using eggs, Garlic Beerstick and tomato. This is based on a Turkish dish called Menemen which is made with eggs, tomato, pepper and feta chesee.

You can vary the egg/sausage ratio, I like it best when the ratio of the solids and the egg are roughly the same - then the egg/tomato coats the sausage as a sauce but you do not get chunks of scrambled egg.

Ingredients:

Enough for 2 as lunch/brunch

4 large eggs
2 - 3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
Equivalent of 1 or 2 large tomatoes, diced (you can use any size, last time I used cherry tomatoes and sliced each in half)
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped (optional but very good)
200g Garlic Beerstick, chopped into thin slices
Flat-leafed parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:

Crack and place the eggs in a bowl with salt and pepper and beat lightly with a fork to mix
Heat the butter/olive oil in a heavy frying pan (big enough for all the ingredients), when bubbling add the tomato, pepper (if using) and chorizo and cook for a 5 minutes until the paprika beings to run from the chorizo and the edges of the sausage begin to crisp
Add the beaten eggs and any paprika
Turn the heat down to low and with a large wooden spoon, stir the eggs very gently as they set, keep the eggs moving and cook until the eggs set, this will be 1 or 2 minutes, do not overcook
Scatter finely chopped parsley and serve with crusty bread or toast.

Sausage & Leek Quiche

A versatile quiche which is good hot or cold. Use a Blackforest Gourmet sausage with a high meat content, otherwise it can be too heavy.

Ingredients:

200 g short crust pastry
500g Cheesegrillers
3 or 4 leeks, cleaned and shredded
2 eggs
Small tub double cream (142 ml)
Tablespoon of butter
Salt and black pepper

Method:

Melt the butter in a large pan, add the shredded leeks and cook slowly for 10 - 15 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated
Add the eggs and cream, stir, season with salt and pepper
Roll the pastry out and place into a 20cm flan case
Pour the filling into the flan case, arrange the sausages as if they are the spokes of a wheel, and push them half way into the filling
Bake the quiche in a medium oven ( 200 degrees or gas mark 6) for 30 - 40 minutes.

Russian Hunters with cream and onion

A creamy sauce for pasta shapes such as fusilli or penne. I prefer this with a good peppery Russian Hunter and no other seasoning. You can add to the basic recipe depending on what sausages you use. With a spicy Debreciner you can add chili, oregano and fennel seeds. Add finely chopped garlic and a half a can of tomatoes if you are making it with Toulouse.

Ingredients:

450 g Russian Hunter Sausages
1 onion, finely chopped
Glass of white wine (150 ml)
200 ml double cream
Tablespoon of course grained mustard
Parmesan or strong cheddar (optional)
Salt and black pepper

Method:

Heat some olive oil in a heavy frying pan, add the onion and soften for 10 minutes until it is soft and sweet
Chop the sausages into 1/2 cm slices and put into the pan
Brown for a few minutes
Add the white wine, and allow this to bubble while you scrape up any burnt sausage.
Allow the wine to reduce by half
Add the mustard and cream and simmer for a few minutes
Check the seasoning and serve with pasta shapes (I don’t think it needs cheese but add if you want).

The Griller with carrot sauce

A substantial pasta dish in which grated carrot combines with sausage meat to make an excellent sauce. Good quality sausage meat is vital and it is often best to buy sausages and remove the skins. To remove skins slit the sausages along one side with a sharp knife. This dish keeps well and the flavour improves if it is kept for 1 - 2 days.

Ingredients:

3 Grillers
Large onion, finely chopped
3 large carrots, grated
1 large can chopped tomatoes
Tablespoon of tomato puree
200 ml of chicken stock (one stock cube)
Olive oil
Herbs - 1 teaspoon dried herbs (either oregano or marjoram) and 1 bay leaf
Parmesan or strong cheddar

Method:

Fry the chopped onion in a heavy pan or casserole until soft
Add sausage meat, break into small pieces and brown
Add the grated carrots (it seems to be a lot of carrot but they will cook down), cook for a few minutes
Add stock, canned tomatoes, tomato puree and herbs
Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated - about 1 hour
Check seasoning and remove bay leaf
The sauce can be refrigerated or frozen at this stage
Combine hot sauce and pasta shapes, add grated cheese to taste
Serve with more grated cheese.

Rosti (potato pancake) with Nuernberger Bratwurst

The classic Swiss potato pancake is made with starchy potatoes and butter and is an excellent partner for grilled sausages.

There are many different methods for what appears to be a simple dish. Having tried, and failed many times I was delighted when I used this method to finally make a rosti. Use starchy potatoes, never pre-cook them and dry the grated potato in at least one but preferably two clean tea towels. The potato will lose around 20% of it's weight in water and the dry potato will then form into a cake, it will work!

I use a heavy, non stick pan with a diameter of 22 cm or 9 inches. A larger pan will mean that the rosti will be too thin, you are aiming for a cooked potato cake which is around 1 inch thick.

Purists may disagree but rosti made with fresh herbs (parsley and chives), chopped smoked speck and onions or topped with cheese (Cheddar, Emmentaler or Gruyere) are excellent.

Ingredients:

1 kg starchy potatoes (baking, russets or all purpose)
100 g butter
Salt and black pepper
2 clean tea towels
150g Smoked Speck
1 medium onion
12 Nuernberger Bratwurst

Method:

Peel and coarsely grate the potatoes
Dry the grated potatoes by heaping them on a clean tea towel, gathering the corners together, wrapping them up and squeezing to press out as much water as possible. Repeat this with a second clean tea towel
Lightly season the potatoes with salt and black pepper
Add any extras - fresh herbs, grated onions or finely chopped smoked bacon
Melt half of the butter in a non stick frying pan (approx 9 inch diameter)
Wait for the foam to subside and spread the potato mixture over the hot pan to make a cake, tuck more butter around the sides of the pan, press the cake with a spoon or spatula
Cook on a low heat for 15 - 20 minutes, pressing occasionally
Once the rosti is brown and crispy on the underside, loosen, place a large plate on top and invert
Add the remaining butter and then slide the uncooked side into the pan and cook for around 10 minutes until browned
Heat a second pan and fry Nuernberger Bratwurst, allowing adequate time to turn Nuernbergers several times, until cooked.
If using cheese add 5 minutes before you think the rosti will be done
Rosti can be reheated or eaten cold but is best served immediately.
A green or mixed salad compliments this meal beautifully.

Gratin Dauphinois - a great side dish for the sausage of your choice.

Ingredients:

1 liter full fat milk
4 cloves garlic
salt and white pepper
1 kg large waxy potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
150 g grated gruyere or strong cheddar cheese (optional)
350 ml double cream
Salt and black pepper
Fresh nutmeg

Method:

Preheat oven to 220 degrees
Crush the garlic and put in a large saucepan with the milk (one of the rare times that it is ok to use a garlic crusher)
Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of fresh grated nutmeg and bring to the boil
Peel and slice the potatoes into £1 thickness
Add the potato slices to the hot milk and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes or until they begin to soften
Butter a shallow gratin dish
Arrange half the potatoes in the dish season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and sprinkle with half the grated cheese (if using)
Cover with the rest of the potatoes, season and sprinkle on the remaining cheese
Pour the cream over and around the potatoes and cover loosely with a lid or aluminum foil
Put in the oven for 35 - 45 minutes or until the cream has evaporated, remove the lid for the last 10 minutes or colour under a hot grill
Goes well with any sausage, grilled, fried or poached to your preference.

Sausage Kebabs

Sausages are eaten at 71% of barbecues. This actually seems to be a low figure.

An interesting way of cooking and serving sausages is to make colourful kebabs: Use White Bratwurst, Bockwurst and Smoked Bratwurst. Cut the sausages into large chunks (say 3 cm) and thread alternative slices onto kebabs or skewers. If you want, you can separate each piece with a piece of onion or cherry tomato. Cook the kebabs in the normal way and serve.

The recipe below is for Italian Spiedini sausages (spiedini means skewered in Italian). If you have a large bay or rosemary bush you could make your own skewers out twigs. The aromatic wood will flavour the meat (and your garden) during cooking.

Makes 8 small or 4 large kebabs.

Ingredients:

2 White Bratwurst
2 Bockwurst
2 Smoked Bratwurst
16 rashers of smoked speck, halved and rinds removed
Large red onion, peeled and cut into 8 segments
Red pepper, halved, deseeded and sliced into 8 strips
Bay leaves
dried oregano
Kebabs or skewers (wooden skewers should be pre-soaked for at least 1 hour)
Olive oil

Method:

Cut the sausages into 4 chunks
Make up kebabs alternating sausage with the Smoked Speck and vegetables
Drizzle with oregano and olive oil
Either grill or barbecue for 10 - 15 minutes, baste once or twice with olive oil or a mixture of olive oil and lemon juice.