I hope this subject is appropriate for this list. My Grandparents were
from the Hannover region. When we butchered a hog they used the Hogs
Head to make what we called Knop. (not sure of the spelling) to make what
I assume might be a type of sausage. It was kept in a crock and fried
for breakfast. It's ingredients were the meat from the head and oatmeal,
seasoned with allspice, summer savory and salt and pepper. There might
have been more additives. I know it was good and I am wondering if
anyone on the list might know what I am referring to and a correct
recipe. Thank you, Bob in Lincoln NE
What a touch of sentimentality came with your request, as my husband is now visiting his 100 year old father Duke PAULING for a few days in MN. His father's grandparents Diedrich Friedrich PAULING and Dorothee Luise Wilhelmine WESTENFELD were born in Norddrebber and Landesbergen, Hannover in 1822 and 1829 and settled in IL in 1850 and then on to IA in 1880.
When my mother-in-law married my father-in-law she needed to learn from her mother-in-law how to make "Knip," as they called it. And I had it for the first time when I met my in-laws in 1964 so I needed to learn to make it too.
Here is the recipe as I have it from my mother-in-law with a slightly different meat version... no hogs head.
"2 lb hamburg
1/2 lb pork sausage
twice as much oatmeal as meat (measured after the oatmeal is cooked)
Season with allspice, salt, and pepper.
Stew the hamburg and pork and cook the oatmeal. Combine all ingredients. Fry in patties before serving.
Brown well.
This is traditionally eaten with bread and butter and syrup."
I seem to remember that she did not make it into patties, but merely fried it up and they did eat lots of maple syrup over it!
On a visit to MN several years ago when Father was in a retirement home and Mother in assisted living, I wanted to do some cooking to leave for him in his freezer, and he thought it would be great if I would make Knip and take it over to Mother. He was sure it would be a treat and she would love it. And so I did.
When he returned from his visit with her and I asked how she liked it, he replied that she ate one bite and didn't like it. It just didn't have enough flavor. It seems I shouldn't have drained all that fat after frying the meat!!
Thanks for the sweet memories!
Linda Marks Pauling in California
"... for such a time as this..." Esther 4:14
For Bob in Lincoln, NE
My mother's family settled in the largely German community of Deshler, NE.
Many of them came from the Hannover area between Bremen and Hamburg. My
mother used to make a sausage pretty much as you describe but she didn't use
a hogs head because we were not on a farm. We did, however, enjoy this
sausage for breakfast. She called it Gruetz Wurst but I think there were
other names for it as well as variations in the recipe. Here is a recipe
pretty close to what my mother used.
2 lbs lean beef, cut into 1 inch cubes
4 lbs pork butt or shoulder cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup old fashion Oat meal (not instant) cooked in beer and water
1 1/2 Tbsp salt
6 cloves garlic
4 tsp allspice
1 Tbsp black pepper
2 tsp paprika
Cook Oatmeal in 1 can of beer and the rest water as directed on package
directions. This becomes the binder for holding the sausage together and
improving the texture and slicing qualities.
Grind together the beef and pork, using the coarse (3/16 inch) blade of a
meat grinder; or chop for 12 seconds, using a steel blade for a food
processor.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well blended.
If you have access to a stuffer, you can then run the sausage into casings
or freeze meat in small bulk packages and then cut into amount wanted or
form into patties and then freeze.
Paul in Boulder, CO
Dear listies, in the Hannover area the word Knapp Wurst means saugage
made out the coocked meat from the fresh fat meat parts of the hog out
of the kettle. Than through the meat grinder and mixed with more than I
guess 50% oats together with spices like pepper and salt. And put into
cleaned swine bowel or has to been canned.
I have to bring every neighbor a little Knappwurst, how many depends of
the no. of children and a pitcher of warm meat broth.
Knapp Wurst means at that time when we are very short of food to stretch
the sausage with oats. "Knapp" - to be short of.
A good recipe for today to come to a slim line.
Kind regards
Karl
<mailto:bobmarval@juno.com> schrieb:
My Great and Great Grandmothers came from Lochtum Hannover to Queensland,
Australia. I am so glad they did if one would have to eat Knapp etc!!! Great
Grandma Meier/Schoppe married a man from Pomerania who did butchering,
baking and shoe making on his arrival here. I wonder if they ate that
stuff!!! I know they made Mettwurst and I do love that but not from the head
of a pig.
Kay Gassan