Name: Grünkohl (kale stew) with Kasseler (smoked pork), Bacon and Mettwurst
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 100 min
Total time: 140 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: North German
Ingredients: 1.2 kg kale (fresh or frozen); 60 g pork or goose fat; 2 onions, diced; 400 ml meat stock (add more as needed); 400 g Kasseler (smoked, cured pork neck), in one piece; 300 g smoked streaky bacon, in one piece; 4 Mettwurst sausages (Mettenden); 3 tbsp fine oat flakes; 1 tbsp medium-hot mustard; salt; pepper from the mill

Preparation

Strip the fresh kale from the thick stalks, blanch the leaves in plenty of salted water for 1 to 2 minutes, refresh in cold water, drain and chop roughly. Frozen kale can go straight into the pot.
Heat the fat in a large pot and sweat the onions until translucent. Add the kale and pour in a little stock; thaw frozen kale first with the lid closed for about half an hour.
Lay the Kasseler and bacon on the kale, season with salt and pepper, close the lid and cook everything over a low heat for 1.5 to 2 hours. Stir from time to time and add stock as needed.
About 20 minutes before the end of cooking, stir in the oat flakes and mustard so that the kale thickens to a creamy consistency, and lay the Mettwurst sausages on top. Finish cooking with the lid on.
Remove the meat and sausages and cut them into slices, and season the kale again with salt and pepper. Fried potatoes go well with it. If you have time, leave the kale to infuse overnight and reheat it the next day.

Drink with it

Pale lager · excellent match
North German Pilsner, freshly drawn
The bitter hops and carbonation cut through the fat and bacon; this is how Grünkohl is drunk in the north.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?
Vodka · excellent match
Korn or clear vodka, ice cold, in a small glass
The cold, clear spirit cuts the fat from the palate; Korn with Grünkohl is the North German classic.
What Is Vodka? Raw Materials, Flavor, and Cocktails
Dark beer · good match
Dark lager or Schwarzbier
Roasted malt picks up the smoke and Kasseler, and the soft bitterness stands up to the richness of the dish.
Which beer goes with food? More than just pils with barbecue
White wine · good match
Dry Riesling, full-bodied, such as a Spätlese trocken
Crisp acidity breaks the fat, and the fruit holds its own against smoke and mustard.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Smoky whisky · good match
Smoky Islay whisky, with a splash of water
The peat smoke mirrors the smoked bacon and Mettenden; it is too heavy to drink throughout the meal, though, so better as a finish.
Why Does Whisky Taste Smoky? Peat, Simply Explained

Preparation

Strip the fresh kale from the thick stalks, blanch the leaves in plenty of salted water for 1 to 2 minutes, refresh in cold water, drain and chop roughly. Frozen kale can go straight into the pot.
Heat the fat in a large pot and sweat the onions until translucent. Add the kale and pour in a little stock; thaw frozen kale first with the lid closed for about half an hour.
Lay the Kasseler and bacon on the kale, season with salt and pepper, close the lid and cook everything over a low heat for 1.5 to 2 hours. Stir from time to time and add stock as needed.
About 20 minutes before the end of cooking, stir in the oat flakes and mustard so that the kale thickens to a creamy consistency, and lay the Mettwurst sausages on top. Finish cooking with the lid on.
Remove the meat and sausages and cut them into slices, and season the kale again with salt and pepper. Fried potatoes go well with it. If you have time, leave the kale to infuse overnight and reheat it the next day.

Drink with it

Pale lager · excellent match
North German Pilsner, freshly drawn
The bitter hops and carbonation cut through the fat and bacon; this is how Grünkohl is drunk in the north.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?
Vodka · excellent match
Korn or clear vodka, ice cold, in a small glass
The cold, clear spirit cuts the fat from the palate; Korn with Grünkohl is the North German classic.
What Is Vodka? Raw Materials, Flavor, and Cocktails
Dark beer · good match
Dark lager or Schwarzbier
Roasted malt picks up the smoke and Kasseler, and the soft bitterness stands up to the richness of the dish.
Which beer goes with food? More than just pils with barbecue
White wine · good match
Dry Riesling, full-bodied, such as a Spätlese trocken
Crisp acidity breaks the fat, and the fruit holds its own against smoke and mustard.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Smoky whisky · good match
Smoky Islay whisky, with a splash of water
The peat smoke mirrors the smoked bacon and Mettenden; it is too heavy to drink throughout the meal, though, so better as a finish.
Why Does Whisky Taste Smoky? Peat, Simply Explained

Grünkohl (kale stew) with Kasseler (smoked pork), Bacon and Mettwurst

Preparation

Drink with it

North German Pilsner, freshly drawn

Korn or clear vodka, ice cold, in a small glass

Dark lager or Schwarzbier

Dry Riesling, full-bodied, such as a Spätlese trocken

Smoky Islay whisky, with a splash of water

This pairs well too.

Chebureki (Fried Minced-Meat Turnovers)

Labskaus (North German corned beef and potato hash)

Matjes Hausfrauenart (herring fillets in cream sauce)

Pelmeni with Sour Cream

Grünkohl (kale stew) with Kasseler (smoked pork), Bacon and Mettwurst

Preparation

Drink with it

North German Pilsner, freshly drawn

Korn or clear vodka, ice cold, in a small glass

Dark lager or Schwarzbier

Dry Riesling, full-bodied, such as a Spätlese trocken

Smoky Islay whisky, with a splash of water

This pairs well too.

Chebureki (Fried Minced-Meat Turnovers)

Labskaus (North German corned beef and potato hash)

Matjes Hausfrauenart (herring fillets in cream sauce)

Pelmeni with Sour Cream