German Bauernschmaus: Pork, Sausages, Bacon, Sauerkraut and Leberknodel

Time

Ingredients

Ingredients

Menu

1-3/4 lb. cooked pork, rather fat
6 Leberknodel, (recipe follows)
6 pork sausages
6 slices smoked bacon about 1/8 inch thick
Sauerkraut (recipe follows)
Mashed potatoes
Hot German mustard

Leberknodel

1/2 lb. calf’s liver
1 egg
3/4 lb. stale white bread
1 md. onion
1 pint milk
1/2 level tsp. baking powder
lard or
shortening (to fry onions)
1-1/2 rounded tbsp. flour
2 rounded tbsp. chopped parsley
1 level tsp. marjoram
1 level tsp. salt

Miller's Sauerkraut

2 lbs. fresh sauerkraut from the barrel, or
2 (one lb. jars or
cans) sauerkraut, three if not tightly packed
1/4 lb. fairly fat pork or
sow belly, optional
1-1/2 tbsp. lard, no substitutes
1 md. onion
18 dried juniper berries
1 apple
Boiling water to cover
2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. flour
1 md. raw potato (grated)
1/4 cup cold water

Instructions

FOR THE FEAST: Heat Knodels in boiling water. Cut pork in six slices. Heat kraut and pork together. Heat mashed potatoes. Fry sausage and bacon. On each wooden plate place a generous helping of mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, a Leberknodel, a slice of pork, one sausage and a slice of bacon. Serve with hot mustard.

FOR THE LEBERKNODEL: They are the size of a tennis ball and are served as a main dish, in beef bouillon as a main dish, or in soup before a meal.

Cut stale bread including crusts in very thin slices, about 1/16 inch thick. Pour heated, but not boiled, milk over stale bread and let sit for 1 hour. Chop onion. Fry onion and parsley until onion is glassy. Set aside.

Cut liver in strips and grind twice.

After the bread has soaked for 1 hour fill a large soup pot one half full of salted water and bring to a rolling boil.

Add all the ingredients to the soaked bread and knead to a uniform consistency. The dough must be well mixed so that no chunks or pieces of bread remain.

With wet hands form a Knodel (ball), about the size of a tennis ball and drop into the boiling water. Dip hands in cold water after making each Knodel and repeat to make a total of six Knodels and medium boil, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove and serve hot.

FOR THE SAUERKRAUT: Germans consume it by the thousands of tons in every way, shape and form. The most favorite of which is sauerkraut.

Wash and drain the sauerkraut.

Simmer the kraut slowly in hot lard for about 5 minutes, turning often with a fork until it has absorbed the melted lard.

Note: When using fresh sauerkraut from the barrel, add boiling water with 2 tsp. salt just to cover the sauerkraut. Cover. Simmer slowly two hours and then after two hours proceed as below to complete cooking.

Note: When using canned or bottled sauerkraut, add enough boiling water with 2 level tsp. of salt just to cover sauerkraut. Proceed Immediately as below.

Peel onion, leave whole. Peel and slice apple. Salt pork. Add pork, onion, apple and juniper berries to Kraut. Simmer slowly, covered, 1 hour or until pork is done.

Mix flour with 1/4 cup cold water. Peel and finely grate raw potato. Add flour/water mixture and potato. Mix well and add to sauerkraut. Simmer for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Salt to taste.

Miller's German Cookbook

Author's Comments

Translated, Bauernschmaus is a “Farmers’ Feast”.

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