Rachel Khoo: Germanic Mondays

I’m not going to pretend that German food has a good rep, but I am a big fan of some of the core flavours in the country’s underrated gastronomy. Perhaps it is my Austrian heritage, but I love the sour tang of pickled cabbage, wholesome dense German breads and the sweet and fragrant spices that creep into their bakes.

With winter approaching, there is no better time to celebrate the cuisine of Germany. This salad, a medley of those quintessential flavours, is less stodgy than you might expect. But it still promises to be an excellent accompaniment to cold nights at home with a weissbier.

Smoked sausage and pickled cabbage salad

Serves 4

4 smoked sausages

½ head white cabbage

200ml water

200ml white wine vinegar

100g sugar

2 tbsp salt

2 Granny Smith apples

1 tsp caraway seeds

8 rashers streaky bacon

1 slice rye bread

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4. Place the sausages on a rack in the oven for 30 minutes, turning every so often.

In the meantime, shred the cabbage finely, removing the core. Place a large saucepan on a medium heat. Add the water, vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir until dissolved. Add the cabbage and cook for 10 minutes, until very tender. Core one of the apples and slice into matchsticks; add to the cabbage about 8 minutes into the cooking time.

Place a frying pan on a medium to high heat. Place the caraway seeds in the pan, toast lightly and then set aside. Slice the rashers of bacon into medium-sized pieces and add to the pan, cooking for 3 minutes or so, allowing the fat to render. Cut the rye bread into cubes, add to the bacon and fry until the whole lot is crunchy. Drain on a paper towel and set aside. Cut the sausages into bite-sized rounds.

To assemble the salad, core and cut the remaining apple into slices. Use a slotted spoon to place the pickled cabbage on the serving plate. Scatter the sausage, bacon and rye bread on top then the apple slices and caraway seeds.