Grünkohl mit Pinkel

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large heavy lidded pot or Dutch oven, 6 litres or larger
• •Wide skillet for browning potatoes
• •Sharp knife and large cutting board

Instructions

1. 1

   Clean the kale

   Strip the kale from the tough ribs, wash it in two changes of cold water, and chop it roughly. Kale carries grit in the curls, and grit in a long pot has nowhere to hide. If the leaves are very coarse, blanch them two minutes in salted water and squeeze them dry; this tames bitterness without washing out the winter character.

   Frozen chopped kale works if it is plain kale and nothing else. Thaw it and squeeze it hard, because extra water makes the pot taste thin before the pork has a chance to season it.
2. 2

   Start the pot

   Warm the lard in a heavy pot and cook the onions until soft but not brown. You want sweetness, not roasted onion bitterness, because the kale will cook long and dark on its own. Add the smoked pork belly and Kasseler, then pile in the kale by handfuls, turning it until it collapses enough to fit.

3. 3

   Braise the kale

   Add the stock, mustard, sugar, a little nutmeg, and black pepper, then bring the pot to a steady simmer. Cover it and cook gently for about 75 minutes, stirring now and then so the bottom doesn't catch. Runter mit der Temperatur: a hard boil tears the leaves and toughens the smoked meat, while a slow simmer lets the pork fat move through the kale.

4. 4

   Add the sausages

   Lay the Pinkel and Mettenden on top of the kale for the last 30 minutes, pressing them just into the greens. Don't boil them hard. Pinkel is a groat sausage, and rough heat can split it before the fat and spice have seasoned the pot. If you want a thicker, old-style texture, stir in the spoon of oats now so it drinks the liquor and binds the greens.

5. 5

   Brown the potatoes

   While the sausages warm, boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, then drain and let them dry in the pan. Melt the butter in a wide skillet and brown the potatoes slowly, turning them until the skins take colour. Dry potatoes brown; wet potatoes sit there and sulk.

6. 6

   Season and serve

   Lift out the meats and slice the Kasseler and pork belly. Taste the kale before salting, because smoked pork brings its own salt and it arrives late in the pot. Würzen, Fett, Salz zum Schluss. Serve the dark glossy kale with Pinkel, sliced smoked pork, browned potatoes, and mustard at the table.

Chef Tips

• •Buy real Pinkel if you can, especially from a north German butcher. It should be a smoked groat sausage, not a plain bratwurst with a northern name stuck on it.
• •Do not drain the kale after cooking. The liquor holds pork fat, mustard, onion, and salt from the smoked meat; throw it away and you've thrown away the dish.
• •Salt at the end. Kasseler, pork belly, and sausage all give salt slowly, and if you season early the pot can turn harsh by the time the kale is soft.
• •Serve mustard on the side, not stirred in by the jarful. A spoon in the pot gives backbone; the sharp hit belongs at the table.

Advance Preparation

• •Cook the kale and smoked meats one day ahead, cool it quickly, and refrigerate it. Reheat gently the next day and add the Pinkel for the final 30 minutes so the sausage stays whole.
• •Leftover kale keeps 3 days in the refrigerator and freezes well without the potatoes. Reheat slowly with a splash of water or stock so the greens loosen before they catch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 630g)