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On this page we welcome you to the food and drink of the Harz. Each month starting from April 2010, we will have a new recipe or feature, that will show the range of cuisine that is available in the Harz. When you think of German cuisine items such as; sauerkraut, sausages (wurst), potatoes, rich soups, pork and herrings may come to mind. Although these items still remain very popular, German cuisine is rapidly changing, indeed today there are more Michelin star restaurants in Germany than any other European country. In the Harz, there is a rich variety of meats available, from pork to venison, beef from rare breeds of mountain cows. The rivers of Harz are well stocked with fresh trout and carp. More importantly there is a growing passion for fine cuisine and a greater understanding of using local produce that is developing in the Harz, we look forward to introducing them to you. |
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August 2010 Composition of deer chops and wild boar tenderloin wrapped in a nettle jacket, accompanied by chanterelles and noisette potatoes, with an elderflower jus. Courtesy of the Romantischer Winkel 5 Star Spa and Wellness Hotel, Bad Sachsa |
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Cooking the Wild Boar Fillet,
Wash the nettles briefly in warm water and pat dry, chop the nettles with a sprig of rosemary and thyme and mix with the chicken farce. Season the wild boar fillet on all sides. Spread the chicken farce on to the tramezzini slices and then place the wild boar fillet on top and roll to cover. Fry the wild boar fillets in a pan until golden brown on all sides and than transfer to a hot oven 220 degrees Celsius for 5 - 6 minutes. Remove and rest for 2 minutes. Cooking the Deer Fillet, Season the chops on all sides and fry in a pan with olive oil and butter to sear. Transfer to oven for 3 minutes, remove and allow to rest. Cooking the Chanterelles Mushrooms, Clean the mushrooms carefully, for this you can use a fine brush from the center to the outside. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the mushrooms for 3-4 minutes on a medium heat, add the shallots and fry until soft. Add the butter and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Finally add the chopped herbs and serve. Cooking the Potatoes, Peel the potatoes, and using a cookie cutter, make round balls. Boil in salted water until done, and allow them to cool down on a baking sheet. Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat until it gets slightly brown colour and then fry the potatoes briefly to colour. Making the Elderflower Jus, Dice the shallots and fry with the diced apples over a medium heat, add the red wine and allow to reduce. Once the wine is almost cooked add the game stock and elderflower juice and reduce to a third. Finally add the rosemary and honey and simmer for 20 minutes. Pass through the sieve and thicken lightly with cornstarch if needed. The success of this dish is to have the sauce, mushrooms and potatoes already prepared and kept warm, while you complete the meat section. As the meat is removed from the oven and allowed to rest before serving, this is the time to reheat the other elements of the dish and plate. You can garnish with some raspberries and lighten the sauce with some foamed milk combined with chicken stock which can be seen on the photo. |
 150g chicken farce 50g nettle leaves 8 slices tramezzini olive oil butter seasoning 1-2 shallots, finely diced olive oil butter garlic 1 tbsp chopped herbs ( parsley, thyme, chervil and chives ) seasoning butter salt half unpeeled diced apple 1 shallot, finely diced 50ml red wine 100ml elderflower juice 1 sprig rosemary, finely chop 1 tbsp honey |
| Footnote: Farce is the French word for "stuffing", which refers to meat that has been finely ground and combined with other ingredients to make a paste. Today with the aid of a food processor this is easier than before. In this recipe the chicken is mixed with creme fraiche and nettles, which are collected from the nearby forest. The combination of the creme fraiche gives it a very light texture and the flavour from the nettles a very pleasing and distintive taste. |
April 2010 |
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