Food
With added spice
by Lois Daish
The appeal of a top award-winning pork and veal bratwurst sausage is in its beautiful taste, which goes perfectly with mustard, sweet onions or fruity accompaniments.
There must be something very special about the Lusciutto brand of Thur-inger bratwurst sausage, which is made in Wellington by Westmeat. This delicately flavoured pork and veal sausage has twice been given the Supreme Award at the annual Great New Zealand Sausage Competition, and has won a gold medal five years in a row. When I asked Westmeat manager Grahame Law why this particular sausage has been so successful, he was stuck for words to describe exactly what its appeal is. In the end, he settled for “because it’s just a beautiful-tasting sausage”.
The secret probably lies with the traditional northern European seasoning mixture. Although the exact combination of spices in this imported mixture is a trade secret, published recipes include nutmeg, mace, ginger, caraway and white pepper. There is never any onion or garlic. Another trick of the trade is that the seasoning is added in very carefully controlled quantities. Grahame says that even two grams of a particular spice in 20kg of meat can make a critical difference to the flavour. He says it is also important that the seasoning is added at exactly the right stage of mixing.
Like most of the sausages produced under the Lusciutto brand name, the Thuringer bratwurst is pre-cooked in the factory. This makes its success in the competition even more remarkable because pre-cooked sausages, which are reheated at home, often lack the juicy succulence of those that are cooked from raw and eaten straight away.
At Westmeat’s factory, the cooking is very carefully managed. Once the bratwurst have been filled with the raw mixture, they are left for a short time to allow the flavours to mature. They are then coddled in barely simmering water for about 20 minutes until the internal temperature of each sausage reaches 71˚C, which ensures that no bacteria survive. The bratwurst are then vacuum-packed, which gives a refrigerated shelf life of six weeks. Once opened, they should be eaten within two days and stored in the refrigerator. Although it is safe to eat them cold, the delicate flavour is enhanced when they are gently grilled, barbecued or fried until lightly browned and hot right through.
Fortunately, these prizewinning Thuringer bratwurst are distributed throughout the country in both chains of supermarkets. It is ideal for shoppers when supermarkets stock the factory-sealed vacuum packs, which can be stored in the refrigerator at home, rather than selling the sausages loose from the deli counter. If your supermarket does not currently stock them, ask the manager to place an order for you.
When you’re serving Thuringer bratwurst, try to keep away from strident tomato sauces. Bratwurst’s northern European delicacy of flavour takes more kindly to mustard, sweet onions or fruity accompaniments. When you plan to barbecue the bratwurst and serve them in buns, try making these richly flavoured onions, a recipe that comes from the American Midwest, home to many people of German origin. Serve a bowl of mustard, too.
MIDWEST ONIONS, BROWN SUGAR AND BEER
2 tbsp butter; 2 medium onions, thinly sliced; dash salt; 2 tbsp brown sugar; 2 tbsp malt or cider vinegar; 1 tbsp commercial tomato sauce or ketchup; 1⁄2 cup dark beer
Melt the butter in a heavy frying pan and add the onion. Sprinkle with salt and fry gently for about 15 minutes until the onion is tender and golden brown. Add all the remaining ingredients and simmer until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Serve warm on grilled bratwurst, with mustard at the side. Serves 4.
Another interesting accompaniment for bratwurst, when they are served on a plate rather than in a bun, is this crisp, sour pickle made with raw apricots. It’s based on a recipe in Quick Pickles, by Chris Schlesinger et al (Chronicle Books). The apricots are not cooked, but simply steeped in a tart pickling liquid. Another way to use these apricots is to add them to a salad of baby beet and spinach leaves and sliced boiled kumara, dressed with vinaigrette made with some of the pickling liquid. Fry slices of bratwurst in sunflower oil and add to the salad while they are still hot.
CRISP APRICOT PICKLE
1 cup cider vinegar; 11⁄2 cups tangelo juice; 1⁄4 cup white sugar; 1⁄4 cup golden syrup; 2 tsp whole allspice; 8 whole cloves; 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger; 8 firm ripe apricots; 1⁄2 cup brandy
Put the vinegar, tangelo juice, sugar, syrup and spices into a stainless-steel saucepan and slowly bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Cut the apricots into quarters and add to the saucepan with the brandy. Put in a wide glass jar or bowl and place a small dish on top to ensure that the apricots are submerged in the liquid. Set aside for an hour before serving or store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Serves 6-8.
Although these delicious bratwurst make a great centrepiece for a summer barbecue, don’t set them aside when winter comes around. They are just as enjoyable in cold weather when grilled and served with sauerkraut or braised cabbage, mustard and a baked potato. Or simmer the bratwurst in beer, before quickly browning them in a frying pan and accompanying them with Midwest onions, mustard and a generous mound of buttery mashed potatoes.
