Saturday, November 13, 2010

Treipen


I have been asked by Steffani for a typical recipe of a classical old Luxembourg Christmas menu.  I talked to her about Treipen. Here's what I said:
Hi Steffani,

There is no typical dish for Christmas day. But there is a tradition that comes from days when this country was living on farming and very poor.  It runs under the name of Treipen.
In old days, when Christmas in Luxembourg was more a religious, catholic event, people went to a midnight mass on Christmas Eve. When they arrived home, they fried prepared Treipen in a pan, untill they burst open and served them, at 1 in the morning with Tirtech (potato cake with SauerKraut - cabbage) and often some  apple-pie.
I found the following recipe in English on http://pastjourneys.com/TasteofLuxembourg.aspx  Many former Luxembourg families live in Chicago area in US and have Treipen Festival there.
 Nowadays, Treipen are primarily eaten in the very local  restaurants in Luxembourg and some of them (EMS near station, Maison des Brasseurs) are famous for them.
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Treipen (Blood Sausage)

1 gallon blood
30 lb. pork roast
5 average-size heads cabbage
5 sliced loaves dry bread
12 peeled medium onions
14 T. salt
6 - 8 T. pepper
1 cup boene kreitchen (savory)

Cook the meat.  Cool it and soak the bread in the broth.  Chop the onions and saute them.  Take the meat off the bones and cut in small pieces.  Add the salt, pepper and BouneKreitchen.  Grind all.  Warm the blood.  Mix it in last.  Put in casings.  Simmer the treipen about 15 minutes in salt water until it comes to the surface.  Take out and cool.  A broomstick between 2 chairs works for cooling.  Freeze.

To serve, fry in grease, or bake in the oven for 45 to 60 minutes.  When the Treipen break open in the pan, they are best!!

If hogs heads are used, do not use the ears.