Gruel
Stippgrütze , also called sausage porridge or dish , is a Westphalian specialty similar to grützwurst or Knipp . It consists of barley groats cooked in sausage broth , which is enriched with leftover meat , including offal such as heart , kidneys or liver, and seasoned with spices and salt . Finely chopped onions are rarely added. After the broth has been drained, the cooked ingredients are chopped up in the meat grinder and a crumbly, fat-infused mass is created, which solidifies when it cools. There are various recipes that have the use of barley groats, fat and meat in common.
A classic recipe contains pork kidneys or heart, pork belly with rind, lard, barley groats, water, salt, pepper, allspice , thyme . The nutritional values vary, a portion made from approx. 300 g pork and 60 g groats is given as approx. 850 kJ.
Due to the relatively high fat content , grits can be kept and are often boiled down or frozen so that they can be consumed over the winter. The season for grits begins with the traditional slaughtering festivals in October or November and lasts until early spring.
In the trade, grits are usually offered in the form of sausages in clear plastic casings with a diameter of about 12 cm. For preparation, a larger piece is seared in the pan without additional fat until a firm crust is formed on the underside, occasionally stirred up and further fried. The result is a pulpy mass, hence the name sausage pulp.
Grits are served hot from the pan and usually eaten with dinner with or directly on coarse rye bread . As a main course at lunchtime, boiled or fried potatoes are usually served. A good alternative are applesauce and boiled potatoes, sometimes a pickled cucumber is part of the porridge. The acid supports the digestion and tolerance of this high-fat food. Due to the high fat content, grits are also eaten as a "base" before drinking alcohol.
The use of cooked offal along with coarsely ground cereals exists in many cultures and was previously considered poor man's food. Examples are the very similarly made Scottish haggis made from oats and sheep innards or the Swedish Pölsa .
Web links
- Stippgrütze.de - private site all about the Stippgrütze.