savoury delights

savoy mess

by beyond my kitchen

This is the end …

A savoy mess starts big – w/ this big big savoy cabbage – & finally becomes a soft, juicy mess of savoy, cream, meat balls, bacon & onions …

In Germany we call this mess just „Durcheinander“ – (hotchpotch). The basis may be a savoy cabbage, however, it may also be a white cabbage or Brussels sprouts or … whatever vegetables are available – typically during autumn & winter. You may add some meat balls or just fried minced meat or any type of sausages … In short: it’s a perfect dish for any grey rainy (or snowy) day.

What do we need?

We think of a simple approach:

  • a savoy cabbage w/ cream for the finishing touch
  • bacon & spring onions for the basic flavoring
  • minced meat mixed w/ breadcrumbs soaked in cream or milk w/ an egg … formed into mini meat balls …
  • … & some spice: I made a try w/ garam masala (a mixture of primarily Indian spices).

The basic flavoring was a fried mix of hearty bacon, spring onions (or any other mild onions like shallots) in peanut oil – w/ a pinch of garam masala.

I had “half & half“ minced meat aka 50% minced beef & 50% minced pork. The breadcrumbs were soaked in cream – you may also use milk – until you get a soft mess. Add an egg, add 2 heaped tablespoons of the bacon-onion mess, some garam masala & knead it. Don’t forget some salt & pepper to taste. Finally form small meatballs & fry them in some peanut oil. Turn them over to get them well done. Finally set aside the meat balls.

You get it: we are working w/ a mess here & a mess there. The basic principle of „Durcheinander” is creating a mess existing of other „messes“!

Now next step: The savoy will lose all his outer leaves completely. Afterwards we rip apart all the inner leaves. Every now & then we cut off the end of the stem & discard it. Afterwards we take each of the leaves & cut it in the middle while cutting-out the big vein of the leave. The big veins will be discarded, too.

At the end there is a lot of discarded stems & leaves … I like to get my savoy soft rather quickly so I won’t deal w/ the stems of the cabbage as well as the veins of the leaves which are the real tough parts. Keep in mind that you’ll lose about 40% of the cabbage! (Therefore the savoy isn’t so intimidating as it seemed from the start!)

The remaining leaves will be roughly chopped & amount to a rather big mountain.

We start w/ our pan again & put in about 1/3 of the savoy mountain. Add some water to just cover the bottom of the pan. Heat it up & the leaves will collapse soon. (They won’t get mushy because we are dealing w/ savoy!)

Then add the bacon-onion mess & some garam masala & some more water & mix. Add the next batch of savoy & mix until the savoy collapses.

Finally it’s the last batch of savoy. When collapsing the water should have vanished until now. Add the cream & mix. Add the meat balls. Bring the cream to a boil. Ready.

The garam masala gives a fine sweet Oriental note perfect for cabbage.

Enjoy!

Print Recipe
savoy mess
Servings: 4
ingredients:
for the savoy:
  • 1 savoy cabbage (about 1 kg – becoming about 600 g after trimming)
  • 250 ml water
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • a pinch of sugar
  • 250 ml cream (32%)
  • salt & pepper (to taste)
for the bacon:
  • 50 g Italian bacon (thin slices)
  • 5 – 6 spring onions (or 2 – 3 small onions resp. shallots)
  • 1 tbsp peanut oil
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • salt & pepper (to taste)
for the meat balls:
  • 400 g minced meat (50% beef & 50% pork)
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp fine breadcrumbs
  • 6 tbsp cream (32%)
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • salt & pepper (to taste)
how to:
  • Chop the bacon & the spring onions.
  • Fry bacon & spring onions w/ garam masala in the oil for about 10 min. (Don’t let it burn!)
  • Add salt & pepper to taste.
  • Set aside.
for the meat balls:
  • In the meanwhile mix breadcrumbs & cream for the meat balls. There should be no lumps!
  • Combine mixed minced meat, egg, the breadcrumbs-cream mess, garam masala & 2 tbsp of the bacon-onions mess & knead until everything is well distributed & smooth.
  • Add salt & pepper to taste.
  • Make mini meat balls & place them in the pan.
  • Fry for about 10-15 min; the meat balls should be well done.
  • Set aside.
for the savoy:
  • Discard all the outer leaves of the savoy cabbage (normally 2 layers of leaves).
  • Discard the stem & free every leaf from its big vein.
  • Chop all trimmed leaves.
  • Add water to the pan & start frying about 1/3 of the chopped savoy.
  • Add the bacon-onion mess & the garam masala & a pinch of sugar.
  • Mix well.
  • When the savoy collapses add another ⅓ of the chopped savoy & some more water.
  • Mix well.
  • … & once again for the rest of the savoy.
  • After about 20-30 min the savoy should be soft & the water should be gone.
  • Add the cream & mix well.
  • Add salt & pepper to taste.
  • Add the meat balls & mix carefully.
  • Ready for serving.
for storage:
  • The savoy mess may be stored in the fridge and reheated in the microwave.