You probably are casting too wide a net here, being from an Austrian/German backround I miss Leberwurst and Blutwurst myself but recognize the long tradition of fine hams from Italy and Spain.
I am working on a salted ginger chicken breast dish I hope to tell the foodies about tomorrow if it's good enough.
June 9 edit:
Ginger
2 tsp. salt
1 green onion.
1 heaping tsp. chili in oil.
1/2 cup olive oil
Flour
Add chopped ginger and salt to a bowl, stir and let stand 10 minutes
Add chopped green onion and chili in oil, stir.
Heat 1/2 cup Olive oil (hot, not smoking), add to ginger mix and stir until it stops sizzling.
With skin side up, spread the ribs and pound the breast flatter with the heal of your hand a couple times.
Peel back skin but not not detach. Lightly flour the breast. Add ginger mix and quickly pull skin back over the mixture to hold it in place. Let sit for one hour. Use the oil that drains off to oil your roasting pan or grill and cook as you normally do.
Cal's oven method: 450ºF for 10 minutes until oil is sizzling then turn to 300ºF for another 40 minutes or so depending on the size. Don't overcook, that's why some people don't like breast meat. It doesn't have to be all dried out, it can be really good. Peel back skin and do as you like with what's left of the ginger mix. I like to eat it along with the chicken.
June 9 edit:
Ginger
2 tsp. salt
1 green onion.
1 heaping tsp. chili in oil.
1/2 cup olive oil
Flour
Add chopped ginger and salt to a bowl, stir and let stand 10 minutes
Add chopped green onion and chili in oil, stir.
Heat 1/2 cup Olive oil (hot, not smoking), add to ginger mix and stir until it stops sizzling.
With skin side up, spread the ribs and pound the breast flatter with the heal of your hand a couple times.
Peel back skin but not not detach. Lightly flour the breast. Add ginger mix and quickly pull skin back over the mixture to hold it in place. Let sit for one hour. Use the oil that drains off to oil your roasting pan or grill and cook as you normally do.
Cal's oven method: 450ºF for 10 minutes until oil is sizzling then turn to 300ºF for another 40 minutes or so depending on the size. Don't overcook, that's why some people don't like breast meat. It doesn't have to be all dried out, it can be really good. Peel back skin and do as you like with what's left of the ginger mix. I like to eat it along with the chicken.
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I may have been a tad hyperbolic but with 1500 types of cold meats/sausages, 300 types of bread and 1200 of bread rolls available in Germany it is difficult not to get somewhat bored by the (lack of) variety available in other countries.
For many years it was illegal to bake commercially in Germany during night hours and because of this and the guild system Germany has retained a very large number of local, family-run bakeries everywhere.
That said Spain and Italy are clearly the top of the heap when it comes to air-dried ham.
My sister sends me Leberwurst (coarse Pfälzer, in a jar)regularly but it is Zwiebelmettwurst I miss the most. As it is made with almost raw ingredients it doesn't lend itself to posting.
We were at a food fair outside of Frankfurt and my son tried the uncured Zwiebelmettwurst, to my wife's dismay. Hard to abide by really raw pork.
The pork in Zwiebelmettwurst is luckily not completely raw, it is lightly cured but not enough to safely survive a week-long, unrefrigerated trip through the postal system.
But it is damn nice on a crispy, fresh bread roll (or a slice of rye bread) with more sliced onion, salt&pepper and a slice of pickled gherkin.
Luckily it freezes ok and here in Birmingham we have the largest german xmas market outside of Germany so I bought four catering-sized ones and froze them only to find out that Waitrose stopped selling german Roggenmischbrot. :-(
But it is damn nice on a crispy, fresh bread roll (or a slice of rye bread) with more sliced onion, salt&pepper and a slice of pickled gherkin.
Luckily it freezes ok and here in Birmingham we have the largest german xmas market outside of Germany so I bought four catering-sized ones and froze them only to find out that Waitrose stopped selling german Roggenmischbrot. :-(
Its in your mindset that its wrong, especially when you hear of people falling ill and even dying on even not fully cooked meats. It might have something to do with raising, at least Ive heard that before. It might not be a best examples but the curry wurst and bratwurst you seem to be able to get on every other corner in urban areas, thats simple good eats. If you haven't tried curry wurst try making it with fresh ingredients, wow. When the meats done I dip the fries and bread and everything in it to get more of the stuff.
As far as Bratwurst goes a Thüringer is very hard to beat.
The problem is that you really have to go to Thüringen to get a good one and even there it can be a bit hit&miss. Having grown up in Germany I always thought I knew how Thüringer tastes but I had to wait for the Wall to fall and visit a friend in Weimar before I got to eat a really good one. Unfortunately now all other "Thüringer" are kind of ruined for me...
Thüringer sausages have to be consumed, cooked or frozen on the day they are made by law.
Might have something to do with the milk used in the production but I'm not sure about that.
The problem is that you really have to go to Thüringen to get a good one and even there it can be a bit hit&miss. Having grown up in Germany I always thought I knew how Thüringer tastes but I had to wait for the Wall to fall and visit a friend in Weimar before I got to eat a really good one. Unfortunately now all other "Thüringer" are kind of ruined for me...
Thüringer sausages have to be consumed, cooked or frozen on the day they are made by law.
Might have something to do with the milk used in the production but I'm not sure about that.
last night's dinner included a delightfully refreshing salad that's a bit seasonal due to getting the little mini watermelons just ripe enough without being soggy
watermelon, baby kale, goat's milk feta, diced fresh mint, lemon infused olive oil
a salad that makes for a great desert as well - generally no left overs on that one
watermelon, baby kale, goat's milk feta, diced fresh mint, lemon infused olive oil
a salad that makes for a great desert as well - generally no left overs on that one
We have a deli here that sell very dried cured sausage of: deer, elk, caribou, moose, ostrich, llama, emu, camel among others. It's the kind of sausage you have to break open to remove the big hunks of fat but once you do, you just put a piece between your cheek and gums and suck on it like chewing tobacco. Expensive per kg but worth it considering it lasts as long as it does.
Well, there was also BBQ grilled potatoes with oil/herb drizzle, lemon/herb organic chicken, another fresh salad with beets, carrots and chick peas and balsamic vinaigrette dressing , and one bottle of champagne and 2 reds between the 4 of us - so the calories were there - just not as much animal fat as with a juicy porterhouse and sour cream doused baked potato. (just made myself hungry typing that)
Yeah, it takes a full 1500cal per day to keep this 145 lb machine idling, and trust me, 90% of the time IDLE is the most appropriate description
Makes sense, probably lost in translation from our hosts the version we had here when I was a kid was more like fully cured (almost ham) pork. The cheeses never made it to the midwest, nothing like a real stinky munster or the "dead man's fingers with music" (rough translation).
EDIT - seems it was probably the local bar that made handkaese mit musik in the shape of fingers that made up this appropriate name.
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