The Germans love their pork, and I’m no different since I’m one of them. This cut of smoked pork takes its name from the city of Kassel in Hessen, and it’s conquered the world – oops, I meant it’s become very popular all over. It comes without the bone in most delis these days, but either version is fine. A close cousin is speck, which is less tender (so it needs more time in the oven) and tends to have much more fat.
For this recipe, it’s important to have some fat content to provide that luxurious mouth feel we’re after, so you should avoid Kassler that’s too lean. Cut it into chops or chunks, about 15mm thick. Part of the dish is stir-fried, with the other part cooked in the oven.
Germans would serve this kind of meat with mashed potatoes and Sauerkraut. You can buy the red or white cabbage in tins or jars or make it yourself. This version has an oriental twist so I tend to choose veggies in season (or a salad on a hot summer day); right now asparagus and English spinach are terrific and cheap.
Ingredients
- Kassler, Speck or smoked pork loin (Kassler / Kaiserfleisch)
- Fennel root, cut into chunks
- Small red onion or big eschalots
- bunch of asparagus
- bunch of big green shallots (or Leek) chopped up
- 1 tbsp balsamic reduction
- 2 tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 3 tbspoons of ginger paste
- Grated lemon rind (just a touch)
- 1 tbsp of lemon juice
- Butter or sesame or olive oil, or all of them
- Seasoning
- White wine (half a glass or more as needed)
You can fry or bake the pork, but be careful not to dry it out.
Baking: Bake the onions, esachalots and fennel for 25 minutes at 160 degrees, in oil / butter. If using speck, add it now. If using Kassler, add it at the frying stage. Add sesame oil, wine or stock as needed, turn everything over and let it bake for another 25 minutes on 160.
Frying: Fry Kassler or Speck, shallots or chopped leak in some sesame oil, and add a dash of dry white wine. When the veggies start to soften -after 5 – 8 minutes – add the soy sauce, ginger, honey, lemon and pepper, and some parsley. Stir to blend. Cook on low heat, adding white wine (or chicken stock if you prefer) to keep it all from drying out (but not too much). Turn the pork over and cover in the sauce.
This dish is very forgiving, so you can adjust as you go, and even add things you’re fond of such as sweet peas. One thing is important: Whether frying or baking, we want to end up with more of a glaze than a sauce, so don’t add too much liquid. Serve with Pinot Gris or a generous Riesling.