Bratwursts in Beer Sauce: Stolzer Heinrich

There are quite a lot of recipes for this dish, which certainly seems to be so German; I mean, sausages and beer, c'mon now! The dish is common in Berlin and in the state of Thüringen, usually rendered as "Thuringia" in English, which is located in the middle of Germany. Thuringia's state capital is Erfurt, but likely its best known city is Weimar, the city where Germany's constitution was put together (Berlin was in turmoil) in the aftermath of Germany's defeat in World War One and the fall of the Hohenzollern monarchy; thus, the republic was commonly referred to as the "Weimar Republic." Famous German writers and playwrights Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller lived and collaborated in Weimar for a time in the early 1800s. After World War Two, Thuringia was in East Germany. "Stolzer Heinrich" means "proud Henry," and the base form "stolz" is related to English "stilt" (stilt in German is "Stelze").

Lebkuchen is the general term for spicy gingerbread, but there are types of gingerbread like in the Nuremberg area, where it is often called "Honigkuchen;" that is, "honey cake." Remember, sugar was very expensive for centuries, and it was a product for wealthy people. The common people used honey to sweeten many dishes; thus, "honey cake." There is also "Magenbrot;" that is, literally "stomach bread," as the herbs and spices were considered good for one's digestive system. Actually, in the German parts of Switzerland it has long been known as "Kräuterbrot;" that is, "herb/herbal bread," and herbs and spices have been used as medicines throughout history. Some Kräuterbrot/Magenbrot is sliced like regular bread, while others are in sort of bite size diamond shapes, and I dare you to try to eat just one! While gingerbread is a common Christmas treat (some German areas have it year round), German cultural areas in Europe also have special gingerbread cakes for cooking (minimal sugar is used). It is used to season (typically) dark colored sauces. In this dish, some use dark beer, some use light (colored) beer, some use both, and others use Malzbier, which means "malt beer," and it is dark, but with little or no alcohol, with a 'malty' taste. It is most common in the U.S., the Caribbean and Central and South America, where it is marketed as "Malta." Juniper berries are a common seasoning in some German and other European recipes. They look like dried blueberries and it is best, at least in my opinion, to lightly crack them before adding them to a recipe. They are best known for their use in making gin. Juniper berries can be found in spice shops, and perhaps in some supermarkets in the U.S. They are not an essential ingredient in this recipe, so if you don't have them, I wouldn't worry about it, but no martinis for you!   

 

"Stolzer Heinrich" is often served with mashed potatoes. There are a number of terms for mashed potatoes in German, with "Kartoffelpüree" and "Kartoffelbrei" both being broadly common, but there are also "Stampfkartoffeln," "Erdäpfelpüree" (generally southern), "Kartoffelstock" (generally in Switzerland), and in Berlin, "Quetschkartoffeln" is pretty common). Fried potatoes, "Bratkartoffeln," are also served at times.

 

Ingredients (4 servings):

 

4 bratwursts (red or white)

2 tablespoons butter + 1 teaspoon oil 

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 cup beef stock

1 cup dark beer (Malzbier is used in Berlin)

3 tablespoons crushed Lebkuchen (or ginger snaps)

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons capers

(optional) 3 juniper berries

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

2/3 teaspoon ground black pepper 

salt to taste, but remember, the beef stock likely has a good bit of salt, and the capers too

Add the butter and oil to a skillet over low heat. Add the sausages and brown them, turning them often. It's okay if they don't cook through, as they will cook more shortly. When the sausages are browned, remove them to a plate, add the finely chopped onion and saute for just one minute, then add the flour to the skillet and stir it into the onion, butter and pan juices; cook for a minute or two to give it just some light brown color and to get rid of the raw flour taste. Now add the crushed/ground gingerbread and turn the heat to medium and slowly add the beef stock, stirring constantly to incorporate and to prevent lumps. Now add the beer (I often use Malzbier) and the bay leaves and the juniper berries (if using), bring to a simmer; adjust the heat downward if need be to maintain a gentle simmer for 2 minutes. Add the ground black pepper and stir, then add the bratwursts to the sauce and simmer gently for 5 minutes, turning the bratwursts to make sure they cook through completely. Add the capers and the lemon juice and cook for another minute. Serve with mashed potatoes.     

WORD HISTORY:

Plant-This word, commonly in noun and verb form, is related to "flat," a word from the Germanic roots of English, to "plaza," a word borrowed from Spanish which had it from Latin which had it from Greek ("place" is essentially the same word, but in French, and it was borrowed by English from French), to "plate," another word borrowed from French which had it from Latin which had it from Greek, and to "clan," a word borrowed from Gaelic which had it from Old Irish which had it from Latin. "Plant" goes back to Indo European "plat," which had the meanings "to spread, to broaden, to make flat, to flatten," and this gave Latin "planta" meaning, "sole of the foot" ("the flat part of the foot"), and this spawned the Latin verb "plantare" meaning, "to push into the ground with the foot," also perhaps further, "to smooth or flatten the ground with the foot;" both leading to the meaning, "to plant." This was borrowed by Old English as the verb "plantian," also meaning "to plant," and this was later shortened to "plant." The Latin verb "plantare" also brought about the noun "planta" (same spelling as the old noun, but a new word) meaning "a young plant, a sprout, a shoot," and Old English borrowed this as "plante" (the 'e' was pronounced in those times as 'ah/eh'), and as with the verb, the noun narrowed to "plant." The meaning of the noun for "place of industrial work," as in, "I work at the car plant," seems to be from the verb usage of "building;" that is, "growing" something, the process and the machinery used for the production, which then transferred to the entire building or complex used for production. The beginnings of this usage is from the late 1700s. Other Germanic relatives of English also borrowed forms from Latin: German has the verb "pflanzen" and the noun "Pflanze," Low German verb "planten" and noun "Plant," Dutch verb "planten" and noun "plant," West Frisian verb "ploantje" (also the form "plantsje?") and the noun "plant," Danish has the verb "plante" and the noun "planten(?)," Icelandic has the noun "planta," but seemingly doesn't have a related verb form (not sure about in the past, however), Norwegian seems to have "plante" as both its noun and verb form, Swedish has the verb "plantera" and the noun "planta" (antiquated?).