Labskaus

vun Clara Kramer-Freudenthal 
(Iesmoond 2000) 

Al mool hüürt? Al mool eten? Labskaus is een echtet norddüütschet Eten. De Seelüüd hebbt dat mitbröcht. Schall ut dat Ingelsche koom. Labskaus warrt ok op verscheden Oort kookt. So as ümmer kook ik dat no mien Mamma ehr Rezept. Is nich jedermann Smack, ober wi eet dat ümmer giern.

Hier nu dat Rezept:

Todoten för veer Persoon:

• 1000 Gramm Ossenfleesch - Ik nemm "Hoge Rüpp mit Knoken" un loot se mi bi mien Slachter glieks inpökeln. Opbest een Week tovör bestelln.
• 4 middelgrote, schellte Zippeln
• 3 Nelkenköpp
• 3 Lorbeerblöder
• 1 Teelöpel vull swatte Peperküürn
• 100 Gramm Smult
• 1200 Gramm Kutüffeln
• 4 lütte or 2 grote Sultgurken
• 4 Gewürzgurken
• 1 lüürlütte Pries Muschotennööt
• 1 Glas inleggte Rode Beet, farig käupen -- de Opwand dat sübst to moken lohnt sik hüüttodoogs nich mihr
• 5 Matjes -- Dor smeckt opbest de Kuttermatjes -- de kinnst doran, dat se an Stiert tosoom hingt -- or ok as Uttuusch Bismarckhiern.

• Dat inpökelte Ossenfleesch kott afwaschen, knapp mit Woter bedecken. Tosoom mit een Zippel, Nelkenköpp, Lorbeerblöder un Peperküürn twee Stünn suutje koken loten. 
• In de Twüschentiet de Kutüffeln schelln un Kutüffelmoos dorvun moken. Mit den Suud vun dat Pökelfleesch statts Melk semig moken.
• Wenn dat Fleesch goor is, gans fien hacken or beter noch dörch den Fleeschwolf mit de groff Schiev dreihn. So is dat op eenfachst. Noch veel eenfacher un billiger is dat gor keen Ossenfleesch to nemm, sünnern eenfach een Doos fariget Corned Beef ünnertomengeln. Wenn dat mool gau gohn schull, hebb ik dat ok al mookt. Mien Mann hett dat ober ümmer glieks spitz kregen un froogt: "War heute die bequeme Variante dran?" Na, dat schall jo ok een lütt beten Ünnerscheed ween in'n Smack.
• De dree Zippeln wörpeln un in dat Smult glosig dünsten, un mit dat groff tweisneen Fleesch, een Matjes, een lütte Sultgurk, een Gewürzgurke. fief Schieben rode Beet dörch den Fleeschwulf dreihn.
• Mit een beten Peper ut de Möhl un een gans lütt beten Muschotennööt afsmecken. Wenn dat to nüchtern schient, noch Sult todoon, ober mihrstiet is dat dörch dat pökelte Fleesch un den Suud sultig noog.
• Anrichten op een groten Töller. Mit Matjes or Bismarckhiern an de Siet, poor Schieben Sult- un Gewürzgurken, un een poor Schieben Rode Beet an den Töllerrand leggen is dat al een Ogenweid.
• Nu kummt as Kroon noch op jede Portschoon in de Mitt' een Speegelei.

Labskaus (Lobscouse, North German style)

by Clara Kramer-Freudenthal 
(February 2000) 

Ever heard about it? Ever eaten it? Labskaus is a truly North German dish. Sailors introduced it. It's supposed to come from English. Labskaus is prepared in various ways. As always, I follow my mom's recipe. It may not be to everyone's liking, but we enjoy it every time.

Here now the recipe:

Ingredients for four persons:

• 1000 grams [35 oz/2.2 lb] beef. -- I prefer a bone-in rib cut and ask the butcher to corn it. It's best to order it a week in advance.
• 4 mid-sized, peeled onions
• 3 cloves
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon full of black peppercorns
• 100 grams [3.5 oz] lard
• 1200 grams [42 oz/2.5 lb] potatoes
• 4 small or 2 large salt-pickled cucumbers [kosher salt pickles]
• 4 vinegar-pickled cucumbers [sour pickles]
• 1 tiny pinch of nutmeg
• 1 jar of pickled red beets, store-bought -- making them from scratch isn't worth the trouble
• 5 young herring [salt-pickled herring filets] -- Kuttermatjes ["trawler matjes"] tastes the best -- you recognize it by their tails being connected to each other -- but Bismarck herring [herring filet pickled in vinegar with mustard seeds] may be used as substitute

• Briefly wash the corned beef, and barely cover it with water. Add the onion, the cloves, the bay leaves and the peppercorns, and allow to simmer for two hours.
• Meanwhile, peel, cook and mash the potatoes. Instead of milk, add some of the meat cooking liquid to it.
• When the meat is cooked, chop it very finely. Or better still, put it through a meat grinder in coarse mode. That way is the simplest. Still simpler and also cheaper is adding a can of corned beef to the mix. I have been known to do that when I was in a hurry. But each time my husband noticed and asked [in German], "So it's the convenient version today, is it?" Well, sure that ought to be a bit of a difference as far as the flavor is concerned.
• Dice three onions and cook them in the lard until translucent, then put through the grinder together with the coarsely diced meat, one young herring filet, one small salt pickle, one vinegar pickle, and five slices of red beet.
• Add a bit of freshly ground pepper and a very small amount of nutmeg to taste. Add some salt if needed, but most of the time it has enough salt because of the corned meat and the cooking liquid.
• Arrange on a large plate. Served with some young herring or Bismarck herring filet on the side and a few slices of pickles and a few slices of red beet along the edge of the plate, it is a sight for sore eyes.
• Put a fried egg on top of each serving to crown the dish.

Labskaus

fun Clara Kramer-Freudenthal 
(Iismaand 2000)

Al maal hoyrd? Al maal eten? Labskaus is 'n echtet nordduytschet eten. De seiluyd' hevt dat mit-broecht. Schal uut dat Ingelsche kamen. Labskaus wardt ouk op verscheiden aard kaakd. Soo as uemmer, kaak ik dat naa miin Mamma er retsept. Is nich jeider-man smak, aver wii eett dat uemmer geirn.

Hiir nuu dat retsept:

Tou-daten foer feir personen:

• 1000 [(ein) dusend] gram ossen-fleisch - Ik nem "hoge ruep mit knaken" un laat sei mii bii miin slachter gliiks in-peukeln. Op best ein week tou-foer bestellen.
• 4 [feir] middel-grote, schelde tsippeln
• 3 [drei] nelken-koep
• 3 [drei] lorbeer-bleuder
• 1 [ein] tee-leupel ful swatte peper-koyrn
• 100 [(ein) hunnerd] gram smult
• 1200 [ein dusend twei hunnerd] gram kuttueffeln
• 4 [feir] luette or 2 [twei] grote sult-gurken
• 4 [feir] Gewürzgurken
• 1 [ein] luyr-luette priis' muschaten-neut
• 1 [ein] glas in-legde rode beed', farrig koypen -- de opwand dat suebst tou maken loont sik huyt-tou-daags nich meir
• 5 matjes -- Daar smekt op best de kutter-matjes -- de kinst daaran, dat sei an'n steirt tousamen hingt -- or ouk as uut-tuusch-Bismarck-heirn.

• Dat in-peukelde ossen-fleisch kot af-waschen, knap mit water bedekken. Tousamen mit ein tsippel, nelken-koep, lorbeer-bleuder un peper-koyrn twei stuenden suutje kaken laten.
• In de twueschen-tiid de kuttueffeln schellen un kuttueffel-mous daar fun maken. Mit d'n suud fun dat peukel-fleisch stats melk semig maken.
• Wen dat fleisch gaar is, ganss fiin hakken. Or beter noch doerch d'n fleischwolf mit de grof schiiv' draien. Soo is dat op einfachsd. Noch feel einfacher un billiger is dat gaar kein ossen-fleisch tou nemmem, suennern einfach ein doos' farriget Corned Beef uenner tou mengeln. Wen dat maal gau gaan schul, hev ik dat ouk al maakd. Miin man het dat aver uemmer gliiks spits kregen un fraagt: "War heute die bequeme Variante dran?" Na, dat schal jaa ouk 'n luet beten uenner-scheid ween in d'n smak.
• De drei tsippeln woerpeln un in dat smult glasig duensten, un mit dat grof twai-sneen fleisch, ein matjes, ein luette sultgurk, ein Gewürzgurke, fiiv schiven rode beed' doerch d'n fleischwulf draien.
• Mit 'n beten peper uut de meul un 'n ganss luet beten muschaten-neut af-smekken. Wen dat tou nuechtern schiint, noch sult tou-doun, aver meirstiid is dat doerch dat peukelde fleisch un d'n suud sultig noug.
• An-richten op 'n groten toeller. Mit matjes or Bismarck-heirn an de siid, paar schiven sult- un Gewürzgurken, un 'n paar schiven rode beed' an d'n toeller-rand leggen is dat al 'n ougen-waid'.
• Nuu kumt as kroon noch op jeide portschoon in de mid 'n speigel-ai.

Labskaus (Lobscouse, North German style)

by Clara Kramer-Freudenthal 
(February 2000) 

Ever heard about it? Ever eaten it? Labskaus is a truly North German dish. Sailors introduced it. It's supposed to come from English. Labskaus is prepared in various ways. As always, I follow my mom's recipe. It may not be to everyone's liking, but we enjoy it every time.

Here now the recipe:

Ingredients for four persons:

• 1000 grams [35 oz/2.2 lb] beef. -- I prefer a bone-in rib cut and ask the butcher to corn it. It's best to order it a week in advance.
• 4 mid-sized, peeled onions
• 3 cloves
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon full of black peppercorns
• 100 grams [3.5 oz] lard
• 1200 grams [42 oz/2.5 lb] potatoes
• 4 small or 2 large salt-pickled cucumbers [kosher salt pickles]
• 4 vinegar-pickled cucumbers [sour pickles]
• 1 tiny pinch of nutmeg
• 1 jar of pickled red beets, store-bought -- making them from scratch isn't worth the trouble
• 5 young herring [salt-pickled herring filets] -- Kuttermatjes ["trawler matjes"] tastes the best -- you recognize it by their tails being connected to each other -- but Bismarck herring [herring filet pickled in vinegar with mustard seeds] may be used as substitute

• Briefly wash the corned beef, and barely cover it with water. Add the onion, the cloves, the bay leaves and the peppercorns, and allow to simmer for two hours.
• Meanwhile, peel, cook and mash the potatoes. Instead of milk, add some of the meat cooking liquid to it.
• When the meat is cooked, chop it very finely. Or better still, put it through a meat grinder in coarse mode. That way is the simplest. Still simpler and also cheaper is adding a can of corned beef to the mix. I have been known to do that when I was in a hurry. But each time my husband noticed and asked [in German], "So it's the convenient version today, is it?" Well, sure that ought to be a bit of a difference as far as the flavor is concerned.
• Dice three onions and cook them in the lard until translucent, then put through the grinder together with the coarsely diced meat, one young herring filet, one small salt pickle, one vinegar pickle, and five slices of red beet.
• Add a bit of freshly ground pepper and a very small amount of nutmeg to taste. Add some salt if needed, but most of the time it has enough salt because of the corned meat and the cooking liquid.
• Arrange on a large plate. Served with some young herring or Bismarck herring filet on the side and a few slices of pickles and a few slices of red beet along the edge of the plate, it is a sight for sore eyes.

Put a fried egg on top of each serving to crown the dish.