Blood Sausage Pockets on Marjoram Cabbage ▶
Adi Bittermann is known for his ability to elevate simple country cooking to gourmet status. Here he sautés blood sausage with apples, marjoram, and pumpkin seeds, then wraps it in strudel dough or phyllo packages which are fried until crisp. His cabbage slaw is tossed in caramelized sugar and accented with onions, marjoram, and caraway seeds. Other sausage may be substituted for the blood sausage used here; select your best local sausage and try it with this preparation.
Ingredients
- Sausage Pockets
- Apple - 2
- Unsalted Butter - 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick)
- Onions - 2, diced
- Blood Sausages - 2, diced
- Marjoram - 1 bunch, stemmed and chopped
- Pumpkin Seeds - 1 cup, roasted
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Chives - 8 – 10, minced
- Strudel - 1/2 pound, thawed (alt. phyllo dough) (2 sheets)
- Egg - 1
- Water - 1 tablespoon
- Canola oil - for deep-frying
- Marjoram Cabbage
- Sugar - 1/4 cup
- White Cabbage - 2 heads, cleaned and cored
- Onions - 2, diced
- Apple Cider Vinegar - 2 tablespoons
- Marjoram - 1 bunch, stemmed and chopped
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Caraway Seeds - 1 teaspoon, ground
- Unsalted Butter - 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick)
- Garnish
- Olive Oil - 1/2 cup
- Pumpkin Seeds - 1/2 cup, toasted
- Chives - 16 – 20, minced
Instructions
To make the sausage pockets: Dice the apples. Melt the butter in a medium sauté pan or skillet over medium heat and add the apples and onions. Toss to coat and sauté until the onions have softened slightly, about 1 minute. Add the sausage and sauté 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the pumpkin seeds. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and stir in the chives.
Spread the dough on a work surface and cut into sixteen 5-inch squares. Lightly beat the egg with the water. Brush the egg wash over the pastry squares. Place a spoonful of sausage filling in the center of each. Fold opposite points toward one another, gathering into a pouch; pinch the pocket necks together just below the top edges of the pastry. Set aside.
To make the cabbage: With a V-slicer or mandoline, shred the cabbage. Heat the sugar in a large sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat until it melts and caramelizes, turning to rich brown syrup. Add the onions and sauté 30 seconds. Add the cabbage, vinegar, marjoram, and caraway seeds and toss together with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is wilted and softened. Stir in the butter and cook 1 minute.
To finish the pockets: Heat two inches of the canola oil to 360 F in a deep-fryer or deep saucepan. Fry the pockets, a few at a time, until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
To serve: Put the oil and pumpkin seeds in a blender and puree until blended; put the mixture in a squeeze bottle. Drizzle around four serving plates. Place a large mound of cabbage in the center of each plate. Place three sausage pockets around the cabbage on each plate. Sprinkle with chives.
