The recipes in the Real German Cuisine Challenge are from the German recipe book Die echte deutsche Küche and will be translated by me over the next couple of years.
Spargel mit Kratzete (White asparagus with pancakes)
With torn pancakes on the side.
Ingredients for 4 portions:
- 1 1/2 – 2 kg (3.3-4.4 lbs) fresh Spargel (white asparagus)
- Salt
- 150 – 200 g (5.3-7 oz) sliced smoked ham (e.g. prosciutto) or cooked ham (or a mix of both)
- 150 g (5.3 oz) butter
For the Kratzete (torn pancakes):
- 300 g (10.5 oz) flour
- 1/2 liter milk
- 5 eggs, separated
- salt
- butter for cooking
Preparation time: about 1 hour
Per portion: 900 calories
Directions:
- Carefully peel the Spargel. To do this, place the knife about 3 cm below the head of the Spargel spear and vigorously peel the spear below this point. Completely cut away the woody end. Separate the Spargel spears into four portions and bundle them with kitchen string. Bring 2 liters of salted water to a boil in a wide pot.
- While waiting for the water to boil, mix the flour and the milk for the pancakes until smooth. Add the 5 egg yolks and 1 teaspoon of salt and mix well. Beat the egg whites until stiff then fold them into the batter.
- Lay the Spargel bundles in the boiling saltwater, cover, and cook over medium heat for 20-30 minutes. Arrange the ham slices on a platter. Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F).
- Lightly butter a pan and heat it. Cook the pancakes one after another in the pan. Tear the just cooked pancakes up into small pieces in the pan using two forks. While stirring, brown the pancake pieces. Put them in an oven-proof dish, lightly salt them, then put them in the oven to keep warm, until all the batter has been cooked. As needed during the cooking, add more butter to the pan.
- Melt the butter for the Spargel. Drain the Spargel and place on a preheated plate to serve. Along with the Spargel, serve the ham, melted butter, and torn pancakes.
- Drink tip: A dry Riesling or a Gutedel (Chasselas) from the Markgräflerland
- Spargel soup is easy to make using the peels and cuttings of the Spargel: Boil the peels and cuttings for about 20 minutes with butter, salt, white wine and water, press it through a sieve, then season to taste with white pepper, salt, and nutmeg.
Want to read more about this recipe? Find out how the challenge went. Want more Real German Cuisine? Check out the full recipe list organized by German state. Do you have an alternative recipe for this dish or helpful hints? Please let us know in the comments!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
900 calories per potion!??! Yikes– all that butter and eggs really add up!
Yeah, that’s pretty common with German recipes, but I think the calories could be cut back a little. I’m pretty sure the calories are calculated using whole milk, so 1% or skim would lower the count. You could also serve smaller portions and have a big salad with lowfat dressing on the side. Or maybe use less ham and cook the pancakes using Pam or something.
My goodness, any recipe can be improved by wrapping it in pork:). The peeling you mention is the reason that I stay with green asparagus and actually thin/young green asparagus, which when steamed has about 0 calories. I am interested in the soup, but I will wait to hear you discuss it- boiling white wine should pretty much destroy it completely after that time?
@G: Not so kosher, huh! I haven’t looked up a soup recipe yet, so I’m not sure if I’ll use wine, but I think boiling it will only boil off the alcohol, and as long you use a stronger wine rather than a light, delicate one, it should leave the flavor in the soup. I used to really prefer green asparagus too, but the white has grown on me.
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