Pfälzer Saumagen Stuffed Pig’s Stomach, in the style of the Rhineland-Palatinate

This is a relatively simple take on Saumagen, based on several recipes from the website Chefkoch.de

INGREDIENTS

750 grams lean pork 5 stems

750 grams lean ham 1 pig’s stomach, cleaned

1000 grams ground veal 1 tablespoon salt

750 grams waxy potatoes, peeled 1 tablespoon white pepper

3 bread rolls 1 tablespoon

6 eggs 1 teaspoon

INSTRUCTIONS

Soak the stomach in lukewarm water. Soak the bread rolls in water for twenty minutes, then squeeze them thor- oughly. Chop the parsley very fine. Cut the meat and potatoes into small cubes.

In a bowl, mix the bread, potatoes, chopped meat and ground veal together with the eggs and the spices. Mix them very well, until the little meat cubes stick to everything else, and the mixture sticks to your hand.

Fill the mixture into the stomach, making sure not to stuff it too full. Bind the openings of the stomach with kitchen twine, and poke a few small holes in the stomach.

Put the stuffed stomach in a pot filled with enough water for it to float. Bring the water to 80 degrees Celsius (176 Fahrenheit), using a thermometer to measure, and let it soak at that temperature for three hours. Do not allow the water to boil. The filled stomach should reach an internal temperature of 72 degrees Celsius (162 F).

Take out the stomach and let it cool. Cut it into slices about an inch thick, and fry these in a pan with some fat and onions until they get a nice crust on both sides. Serve with sauerkraut and fried or mashed potatoes.

VARIATIONS

If you cannot find a stomach (even Germans have difficulty with this!), you can try putting the filling into casings or even into jars that are then cooked in the water or in the oven.

You can vary this recipe a great deal. Soak the bread in milk instead of water. Play with the spicing: include ginger, paprika, , garlic, , celery, or Indian spices like , , and . You can also use chestnuts or carrots instead of, or in addition to, the potatoes.